| Rosh Online Posted: 22 Dec 2011 06:36 PM PST Rosh Online: Return of Karos is a fantasy MMORPG which features both classical gameplay and extra activities, including mining, hunting, and fishing. Join a guild and join massive player versus player battles, or join in an adventure in an Extreme Instance Dungeon.  Publisher: Ignited Games
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: High
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Open World / Guild Battles
Filesize: ~5000 MB Pros: +Alternate Advancement Systems +Multiple PvP options +Unique mount system. Cons: -Slow experience gains. -Classes are gender locked. -Still focused on grinding.
  
OverviewRosh Online OverviewAfter a tenuous peace between the four races of Broccion, the world is at war again, seeking leadership. Players take up arms for their guild and for their nation to battle for land, resources, and victory. Choose from four races (Human, Shadow, Seroine, and Vaneese Human) and seven classes (Mystic, Bow Mistress, Blader, Paladin, Rogue, Sorceress, and Gunner), then gain experience to grow into an advanced class, and Fletta to improve your abilities. Rosh Online ScreenshotsRosh Online Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewRosh Online ReviewWarning: players may experience deja vu. Ignited Games recently launched Rosh Online, which is an updated version of Karos Online. The game is fundamentally the same as before, with some quality-of-life improvements as well as a few new options to set it apart. The game still looks and feels like Shaiya and Last Chaos, providing high quality graphics and detailed environments. Character Creation — Still Boring Karos Online offered six classes: Mystic, Bowmistress, Blader, Paladin, Rogue and Sorceress. Rosh Online adds a new class to the mix: Gunner. Character creation options are the same, limited choices as before, giving players only three face options, four hair style options, and eight hair color choices. Classes are gender-locked, meaning you will only ever see female mystics, bowmistresses, paladins, and sorceresses, or male bladers, rogues, and gunners. Each class has their choice between two specializations. The level requirement for this job change has been reduced to 10 in Rosh Online (from 15 in Karos Online). A second class specialization for each of these secondary jobs can also be unlocked to further develop each character's skills, and offering a total of 28 top-level classes to choose from.  What is Instruction? Karos Online simply threw you into the game, with no instructions on how to move or interact with the world. Rosh Online has done nothing to correct this issue. While this poses no problem to MMORPG veterans, new players may quickly find themselves overwhelmed or frustrated by the lack of a tutorial. Almost all in-game interactions are accomplished by right-clicking: right-clicking an NPC interacts with them, and allows you to receive quests, while right-clicking on an enemy will initiate auto-attack. WASD can be used to move your character; click-to-move is also available. Skills are used off an action bar by pressing the appropriate number key.  Tightened Progression There is no innovation in the combat system between Karos Online and Rosh Online, and it remains fairly simple in its design. One thing new players may find confusing, however, is the dual leveling system. Character experience and levels are earned normally through killing monsters and completing quests. Rosh Online has improved this system by making monsters worth more experience than in Karos Online, but the game still requires a significant amount of grinding in order to unlock new quests. Once you've leveled up, you receive a skill point to place in your class abilities. Each skill has five levels, which are gated by your character level. The game, however, also has what's called the Fletta system. Fletta is gained only by killing monsters. Each time you gain a fletta level, you can put a point into one of seven different stats. Yin and Yang affect magic and health regeneration, respectively. Earth increases defense and magic defense, air increases your attack speed, fire builds up your attack power, wood increases magic attack power, and water affects both run speed and critical hit chance. Fletta points can also be spent on item enhancement, just like in Karos Online. Questing is still far more efficient in terms of leveling, when you can do so. Quests offer far more experience than simply killing monsters. Several repeatable quests also become available as you progress, and these are by far the best way to gain both character levels and fletta points, since most send you off to slaughter a lot of monsters. These quests, at least, give purpose and extra experience to your grinding.  Inventory Woes A major complaint with Karos Online was the limited starting inventory space. Bags were expensive to make, and many people did not sell them to other players. Rosh Online helps alleviate this problem slightly by offering a couple of bags as low level quest rewards, effectively doubling a new character's starting inventory. Even so, inventory space remains a premium, especially as all quest items take up a slot in your inventory. Crafting remains rather costly, with many items requiring uncommon or rare materials. New characters receive a very powerful set of starting equipment that will last them for a very long time, thankfully, which will help stave off crafting costs for a while. Mounts and Pets and Fighting, Oh My! When people think of mounts in an MMORPG, they usually don't associate them with shoulder armor. Rosh Online simplifies the mount system by doing just that: putting the item on your shoulders. Using the V key (by default) with a mount equipped allows you to summon your companion to ride. You cannot equip items, attack, or interact with NPCs and objects while mounted. Additionally, players can collect minipets for show. Pets can also help you loot items, or recover health and mana faster. Player versus Player combat has also received a significant overhaul between Karos Online and Rosh Online. Players can turn on their PK flag at will and engage other players who also have the PK flag turned on. However, Rosh has increased the level requirement for this function to 35, far from the level 10 requirement in Karos Online. Guild versus Guild siege warfare is also promised in Rosh Online, giving players many options should PvP appeal to them.  Final Verdict: Good Rosh Online makes some strides in improving some of the negative aspects of Karos Online. Experience gain is much better in Rosh Online, and inventory space has been improved upon. The level to initiate PvP has been increased so lower level players aren't as punished for their decision to PvP. For all that Rosh Online has done to improve upon Karos, however, it still fails to address concerns about lack of direction for new players, or provide innovation to the original game's systems. Still, it's not a bad game by any means, and fans of Karos Online may find some welcome changes. ScreenshotsRosh Online Screenshots VideosRosh Online VideosOfficial Gameplay Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. LinksRosh Online LinksOfficial Game Page System RequirementsRosh Online System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core TM 2 Duo E6700 (2.66Ghz)
RAM: 1GB
HDD: 5GB
Graphics Card: GeForce FX 6200 / Radeon 9600
DirectX: 9.0c |
| RODE Posted: 08 Dec 2011 12:37 PM PST R.O.D.E. is a fantasy game of mystical characters and creatures where dragons hold the symbol of great power. It takes place in a world separated by two lord dragons, Firean (representing the West) and Azurian (representing the East).  Publisher: Mgame
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: High
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Low
PvP: Battlegrounds and Open World
Filesize: 10GB Pros: +Detailed graphics, +Aerial combat, +Advanced Pet system
Cons: -Not beginner friendly, -Dragons are difficult to attain, -Poor crafting system
OverviewRODE OverviewRise of Dragonian Era (RODE) offers players the ability to ride on the backs of dragons in both player-version-enemy and player-versus-player combat. Each of the four classes in game has two specializations to choose from, offering a variety of options. Additionally, the game offers a detailed mount and pet system, as well as achievements, to give players many things to enjoy while playing. RODE ScreenshotsRODE Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewRODE ReviewRise of Dragonian Era, otherwise known as RODE, is the latest offering from Netgame. Similar to MMORPGs like Runes of Magic and Gates of Andaron (4Story), RODE promises a complex class system and fast-paced player-versus-player combat. Oh, and you also get to fly around on a dragon and battle in the skies. Installation Woes Trying to launch RODE is an exercise in frustration. First, you log into the RODE website and download a file that downloads the game client. Then, depending on what web browser you use, there is a separate plug-in that needs to be installed to actually launch the game. While the game is not browser-based, its browser-launch system ends up being more complicated than most desktop installed games. The Start of a Legend After an opening cinematic, you choose between two factions: Firean and Azurian. Each faction has three races to choose from. Firean has Halfkin, Asrai and Shedi; Azurians boast Kaebi, Orial and Sinkong. The Halfkin and Kaebi are the short races; Halfkin are decidedly elfish looking, while the Kaebi are more devilish. Asrai are definitely elvish, and the Orial's are human. Finally, Shedi and Sinkong are bestial races – Wolf and Monkey respectively – that can only be male. Your next choice is between one of four classes: Fighter, Ranger, Wizard and Darkmage. Classes are locked by race: Orial and Asrai cannot choose Darkmage, Halfkin and Kaebi cannot be Wizards, and Shedi and Sinkong are restricted to Fighter and Ranger. Once you've chosen your class, you get the option of a few face types, face shapes (makeup or facial hair), hair styles, and costume colors. You'll also choose skin and hair color as well. RODE differs from many free-to-play games, however, by offering two additional creation screens after these basic selections are made. These screens contain various sliders that control body shape, face shape, and more, allowing you to create a one-of-a-kind character.  Learning the Ropes After creating a character, you will be treated to another cinematic, which details your character's backstory. The backstory is mostly the same for both factions, with very minor differences. When you're given control of your character, you'll find there are no tutorials to be had, except for instructions on moving your character. No direction is given on how to interact with NPCs, how to interact with objects, how to attack, or other basic game controls. Right click is utilized for most actions in RODE, including interacting with NPCs, gathering from crafting nodes, looting chests dropped from monsters, and using skills on your action bars. You're given three starting quests in the first area, which, while designed to teach you these controls, fail in their intended role.  Them's Fightin' Words Combat in RODE follows a classical MMORPG format. You auto-attack with your equipped weapons, and can use a variety of class skills. Skills are activated using the number keys, or by right clicking on the icon on the action bar. Most basic enemies are defeated easily; however, expect to take a lot of damage. RODE is designed with grouping in mind, and tougher monsters are nearly impossible to solo. Fortunately, anyone who attacks the tougher monsters will get quest credit, although only the first person to attack it will get loot. Targeting can also be a major problem; using Tab to find the nearest target can and will target things behind you, not just in your field of vision. All enemies drop chests upon death, which are then looted for money, and occasionally, items. Money is very tight early on, and training becomes more costly as you rank up your skills. At higher levels, chests gain the ability to sometimes be a mimic, which attack you when you try to open them. Defeating a mimic rewards you more money and better loot.  I Don't See Nothing Wrong … Leveling up in RODE is slow. Each level earns your character a new skill. At level 10, you can choose one of two specializations for your character, each with a different playstyle. Every level after 10, you also earn a talent point that you can use to enhance your specialization's abilities. There are many quests to do in RODE to help you level, though they seem to taper off at higher levels. An achievement system offers a plethora of achievements to obtain, as each area you discover, each monster you defeat, and each node you gather from are tallied. This always means there's some task you can perform while playing. There is also battleground and open-world PvP for players to engage in. RODE also features crafting in the form of gathering and crafting skills. Gathering from resource nodes levels up the specific gathering skill (mining, fishing, and extracting), and you can select a crafting skill from Alchemy, Metalworking, Jewelcrafting and Tailoring. You can only learn one crafting skill, but you automatically learn all three gathering skills.  Butterfly in the Sky RODE's primary focus is its dragon system. Before you reach level 10, you'll obtain a dragon egg that requires your help to hatch. The egg is a minipet that follows you around. When you use your pet in combat, its loyalty will rise. To hatch your dragon egg, you must raise its loyalty to 100%, and obtain an item rarely dropped by difficult monsters. Eventually, this dragon is supposed to become your companion in the skies, although the system has not yet been implemented. You'll also receive a mount from a quest fairly early on, which also functions off the loyalty system. Mounts can be used to fight with, which is a nice departure from many games where they are merely transport. Using mounts to attack builds their fatigue, which can only be reduced by purchasing items from a vendor. The mount and pet system is woefully unexplained in the game, leaving you to figure them out on your own.  Final Verdict: Fair RODE does some things well: NPCs have at least one voice-acted line when you interact with them, the game's graphics are high quality, and the ability to fly on a dragon is quite appealing. The game is, however, bogged down by a variety of issues. Death carries a stiff experience loss to it, taking away huge chunks of progress and time. Crafting items requires an additional fee, on top of the fee to learn the recipe, and the cost of the materials you must purchase from a vendor. Finally, various graphical issues, such as objects not being solid, allow for many situations where players can get stuck and must wait for a GM to free them. If the idea of challenging, party-based play sounds appealing, though, you might get some mileage out of RODE. ScreenshotsRODE Screenshots System RequirementsRODE System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows (R) Vista/ XP/2000 (95/98/ME/NT/Server are not supported)
CPU: PENTIUM DUAL CORE 2.1X
RAM: 1GB
HDD: 10GB
Graphics Card: GEFORCE 4600GT 256MB
DirectX: 9.0c Recommended Specification:
OS: Windows (R) Vista/ XP/2000 (95/98/ME/NT/Server are not supported)
CPU: PENTIUM DUAL CORE 3.0
RAM: 3GB
HDD: 20GB
Graphics Card: GEFORCE 9800GT 512MB
DirectX: 9.0c or better |
| Heroes of Newerth Posted: 04 Mar 2011 12:53 AM PST Heroes of Newerth is a 3D fantasy MMO with team based, competitive gameplay. Inspired by DotA, Heroes of Newerth allows players to chose from a large rooster of heroes and battle it out as part of the Legion or the Hellbourne.  Publisher: S2 Games
Playerbase: High
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Slow
PvP: Open World / War Fronts
Filesize: 569 MB Pros: +Thrilling team-oriented, skill-based gameplay. +Many heroes to choose from. +In-game guides and tutorials. +Interesting, well-furnished money store. +Monthly release of new content. +Complete, extensive tutorial. Cons: -Competitive style not for everyone. –Limited selection of maps. –Considerable learning curve. –Temperamental players can, and do ruin games.
 
OverviewHeroes of Newerth OverviewOriginally based on the Warcraft 3 custom map Defense of the Ancients, Heroes of Newerth has its ties divided between its map predecessor, and S2 Games' previous series of games called Savage who's universe Heroes of Newerth is set in. Extremely competitive and community oriented, Heroes of Newerth provides a refined and polished experience destined to keep players entertained for many a sleepless nights. With a great diversity of characters spread over two factions (Legion & Hellbourne) and three categories (Strength, Agility & Intelligence), many of which require different play styles and skill sets, this is a game that ultimately rewards a player's mastery over his character, and his capacity to use this character in conjunction with his team mates'. If you enjoy a bit of challenge, you should not miss this one. Heroes of Newerth ScreenshotsHeroes of Newerth Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewHeroes of Newerth ReviewIn ye ole' days when "free to play" was more likely referring to newgrounds flash games than fully developed products, Warcraft 3 held one of the top seats on the most-played games list, partly due to this little mini-game called DotA. Most likely you've heard of this, but if you haven't, the principle is simple; two bases send equal amounts of warriors at each other in an automated manner, and the players pick one of many heroes, killing these warriors, gaining experience, buying items and essentially powering up until one team is strong enough to break the status quo, and push all the way to the other team's base in order to destroy it and thus win. The concept was fun, simple, and most importantly, extremely popular. However, it wasn't until Heroes of Newerth that this idea reached the game market in any successful manner. Released at first for the meager sum of 30$, Heroes of Newerth at last turned free to play in summer 2011. The question is; does it manage to keep the experience entertaining through the free-to-play transition? This Looks Familiar Heroes of Newerth lets you enter the role of a member of the alliance of the previous games two opposing forces (Legion and Beasts), or as the Hellbourne, an invading force of demonic and other fellows of doubtable repute as you duke it out over a handful of maps, but most likely, Forest of Caldavar, the traditional DotA style, community favorite map. It all functions exactly like the Defense of the Ancients described above, albeit with a bit more of complexity. You start out in the very complete menu interface, where you either get to play through matchmaking or by joining a custom, listed game. This is also the place where you get to check your stats, the Herodex and the store, but more on that later. Custom games have up to 4 playable maps, while matchmaking only has two. Most games turn out to be 5v5, but 3v3 is the second most popular, usually played on Grimm's Crossing. There is a fair amount of modes, such as All Pick, All Random, Single Draft, Banning Draft, etc. most of which are centered on which hero you pick. This is a fairly important phase too, as which characters your team picks and how they synergize can very easily make the difference between victory and defeat, and let me tell you, the hero selection is not only huge, but also constantly growing. The downside however, is that unless you've purchased the heroes for use, only a limited amount of them are unlocked on a rotation each week. Once that's done however, the fun starts.  Roll The Dice! Games generally play out over anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, informally divided as early game, mid-game and late game. This is fairly important, as some heroes are specifically designed to excel in one of those over the others. For an example, intelligence heroes will excel in early and mid-game, using powerful non-scaling spells to slam their opponents into submission, while agility heroes specialize in late-game, and whose role is specifically to carry their team to victory after the 30 minutes mark, which they could not do earlier due to their fragility. Gameplay can generally get quite complex, and most players can expect to lose the majority of their early games. Those who do not enjoy this style of play will find out very quickly whether this is for them, as they are immediately put face to face with the learning curve and simultaneously the pressure to perform. Your performance depends directly on what kind of items you build, and your capacity to use your abilities at the right time, and the right place. Thankfully, Heroes of Newerth comes with a fairly complete tutorial geared at explaining the basics, like denying (killing your own creeps to deny the enemy money) and last hitting (in order to get money). Even more helpful is the presence of in-game character and item guides, written and approved by the community. A quick trip to the game's forums can also explain more advanced concepts like juking, creep pulling and backdooring.  What's Better Than Two Barrels? FOUR! In the end however, the learning curve remains, and this is partly what contributes to Heroes of Newerth being such a competitive experience. Team members are constantly pressured to succeed, and indeed the presence of a weak link can drag an entire team down. Kills and victories are thrilling and rewarding, with buyable announcer packs sending a variety of taunting one-liners, including one voiced by Duke Nukem voice actor Jon St. John. After every game, you earn a certain amount of experience (mostly used as a measure of gameplay time), PSR (Skill rating, for bragging and matchmaking) and most importantly; silver coins, which lets you buy from the in-game store. The after-game screen lets you see just about everything you'd want to know; ranging from kill rate, to gold acquired, and even the amount of actions you did per minute. It also makes your replay available to be downloaded by yourself and the public for a certain amount of time afterwards. You can also check out your own long-term statistics! There is most definitely a lot of information that can be checked concerning game details and performance. Unfortunately, you might notice at this point that a few important features are restricted to verified accounts (Level 5 or higher, or has purchased something from the store), such as the ability to report griefing players. Similarly, you'll find out that there are game modes you cannot play unless you have purchased a special access pass from the store. This is a very small downside, though it does lead us to…  The Goblin Store The money store. Yes, it's chock full of very neat stuff. And the best part is that to get the majority of it, you don't even need to spend real money, you can use your silver coins. That said, purchasing in-game currency (gold coins) is more time efficient and lets you get more stuff than you would otherwise. The store contains a truckload of vanity goodies, ranging from name colors, name icons, stat resets, to new models for heroes, new voice sets, new couriers and even new in-game announcers. There are some amazingly hilarious buys, with famous ones such as pimp Witch Hunter, leprechaun Blacksmith, or even a flying pig to courier your items around. You'll also find a bundle section with a fair amount of rotating deals available, including holiday deals, when special skins are unlocked for purchase (Giant easter bearwolf with carrots for claws anyone?). This is also the section where you can unlock individual heroes to add to your collection. The downside with it all is that it does not come cheap if you are using gold. At the time of writing this, 10$ is about 450 gold pieces, which lets you unlock two heroes, one skin, or a cheap name color. Announcers range from 560 to 980 gold pieces, whereas bundles are more likely to hang around the 1,300ish price tag. Few things in this store come cheap, but the advantage is the selection available to you. Is it a deal breaker? Not at all, and players can fortunately not acquire any sort of in-game advantage through the store (Unless you consider Duke Nuken's voice a tactical advantage).  Final Verdict: Great Heroes of Newerth is great, and just one tip-toe away from being excellent. All that holds it back is its learning curve, limited maps and the occasional glitch. That said, it's an amazing experience that successfully combines RPG and Strategy elements into a successful, addicting product. It has created around it a solid, competitive community, and as a Savage fan, I am proud to see Heroes of Newerth carry the series forward. If you have not tried it yet, there never was a better time! ScreenshotsHeroes of Newerth Screenshots VideosHeroes of Newerth VideosHeroes of Newerth 2.0 Official Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Heroes of Newerth Gameplay [ReMo] P1 Click here to view the embedded video. Heroes of Newerth Gameplay [ReMo] P2 Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsHeroes of Newerth System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: 2.2GHz Pentium 4 / AMD 2400+
RAM: 1 GB
HDD: 1 GB free
Graphics Card: GeForce 5 / ATI 9800 Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo / AMD 3500+ or better
RAM: 1.5 GB or more
HDD: 2 GB Free or more
Graphics Card: 256MB Geforce 7800+ / Radeon X1900+ or better |
| Elsword Online Posted: 26 Feb 2011 03:29 PM PST Elsword Online is a 2D fantasy MMORPG side-scroller. Work with other players to clear stages in this anime inspired action oriented beat ‘em up!  Publisher: Kill3rCombo
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: Medium
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Arena
Filesize: 1,230 MB Pros: +Stylish graphics and art work. +Action oriented gameplay. +Co-op and competitive game modes. +Multiple class paths. Cons: -Similar to other side-scrollers already available. –Strange translations. Combat can get repetitive. –Few classes compared to Korean
OverviewElsword Online OverviewNorth American gamers are finally able to get their hands on Elsword, a side-scroller similar to Grand Chase and Fists of Fu. With a manga series already running in Asia, Elsword is a popular franchise which offers players story-driven action with various co-op missions. There’s also a PvP mode where gamers can battle each other and compete for rankings. Equip your character with an assortment of gear, accessories, and cosmetic items earned as you progress! Characters: Elsword - A master swordsman with powerful melee attacks. He can deal damage, but also adsorb a lot of it. Aisha - A mage who relies on active skills in deal damage to opponents. Armed with a staff, she can attack multiple targets at once. Rena - A trained marksman, Rena’s favored weapon is the bow and arrow. She is also capable of kicking opponents who get too close. Elsword Online ScreenshotsElsword Online Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewBy: Guillaume Barbeau
Let's say it now: Elsword is a beautiful game. Hand-drawn cutscenes, cell-shaded graphics and flashy effects, all using bright, vivid colors, make for a very satisfying visual experience. You start out in the character creator where you choose your name along with your preferred persona. Considering the differences between each of the characters, this is a fairly important step; Elsword is the melee/tank character, Aisha is a mage with the capacity of attacking a lot of foes at once, and Rena is the long ranged character (Who could also be built for melee). The tutorial is complete, and accessible from the character menu afterward if you need a refresher. It explains efficiently the ins and outs of the system while peppering you with bits of the story, and introducing the characters to each other. Here you might also notice that Elsword indeed has voice acting, which is definitely an uncommon trait for free-to-play MMOs, and something we hope to see more. The sound in this game isn't especially striking, the music is similar to other anime-ish games, and the sound effects are fair. The story is simple but deliberate in its style and pace; the anime inspirations ooze from every pixel.
Fire up your fighting spirit! Profiting from previous experience with Grand Chase, KOG was successful in designing this combat system in a way that lessened the repetition slightly. To this end, they implemented a combo system which, depending on what key you hit (Z for light/fast hit, X for heavy), will chain up differently, and allow you to follow-up with special moves of your choice. The fighting here is truly the thick of the action, it's fluid, fun, though a bit repetitive. Apart from combos, a significant part of the fighting system is the skill tree which has you put points into skills of your own choosing, some of which are entirely new special moves. One of these is a defensive move specific to each character, for an example, Aisha's is a teleport,and Elsword's is a counterattack block. These special moves use varying amounts of your mana bar(regenerated with time, or through fighting) to perform sort of "limit break" effects. You have four slots to put skills of your choosing, allowing you to diversify your play style, to a certain extent. Wally's Castle The game essentially functions in the usual Kill X, Collect Y, go to Z fashion. You'll acquire your quests in town, and then proceed to the outskirts of town where you create or join dungeon groups. Apart from PvP, all of the action happens in instanced, 4-players dungeons. These are fairly simple, go from point A to point B killing everything in-between, including a boss at the end. Before these, you may choose your preferred difficulty level, as many quests require you to play on Hard or Very Hard. This does not make much of a difference however, barring the time and length of the dungeon, and the difficulty remains fairly tame. A big part of the fun here comes from doing them in a group, as repeating dungeons solo turns them into a chore fairly quickly. The action truly shines in this instance, with flashy moves flying left and right, and bosses often going down to your teammates before you can even lift a finger. The PvP is just as entertaining, and much faster paced! The fighting happens in smaller arenas where you either compete in a free-for-all, or in a team deathmatch in which the objective is to have the best kill count. One strange thing about the action is how resilient the players are. Taking down a player takes a long time due to humongous amounts of hit-points, which tend to make matches longer, and slightly more tiresome than they need to be. I'll From dungeons and PvP, you acquire XP, VP, and coins. The XP is used to level up (Surprise, surprise!), while the VP and coins are used in purchases. The character progression here is fairly fun, as the skill tree allows for slight divergence. Where the real fun starts however, is when you get to choose your progression path, at level 15. As an example, Elsword can become either a Sword Knight, or a Magic Knight, both which use different sets of skills, and have distinct appearances. Items in Elsword are divided in two: most items that carry significant statistics do not have an aesthetic counterpart. This means that if you put on a +30 Melee shirt, it will not physically show up on your character. Instead, your character's appearance is decided by an alternate set of items. What this means is that you can look exactly like you want, without having to sacrifice item stats. Most of these items are acquired by… Ka-ching! Ka-ching is the in-game currency purchased with real money, whose main function seems to be either to purchase some of those appearance items, or utility items. There –is- a certain amount of stat gained from having these appearance items, which can range from being minimal; to being very significant(Some items allow you entirely new abilities, usable during PvP matches). There is a good variety toka-ching items, most certainly enough to keep you interested until new content arrives. Items can be sold in a sort of central, instanced market. You may also perform crafting, though this is not a skill in itself, as simply bring the material to a merchant in order to craft, or enhance an item. One thing must be mentioned about content however; it's that the Korean version currently has –double- the amount of classes this version has, a detail that could make a significant difference in a player's game experience. Final Verdict: Good Overall, this is a good game with a straight focus on flashy action and excellent looking graphics. It has a good pace, sharp action, and a healthy community, but is essentially very similar to Grand Chase,and other side-scrollers. That aside, if you can enjoy Elsword's style and get past the eventual feeling of repetition from the dungeons, then small flaws like strange translations should be no issue to you. So grab up your sword, and fire up your fighting spirit! ScreenshotsElsword Online Screenshots VideosElsword Online VideosElsword Online Teaser Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsElsword Online RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 3000 MHz / AMD Athlon 64 3000+
RAM: 2 GB
HDD: 2 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce 7600 / ATI Radeon Х1600 Recommended Specification:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo 3000 MHz / AMD Athlon 64 6400+ or better
RAM: 4 GB or more
HDD: 4 GB or more
Graphics Card: GeForce 8800 / ATI Radeon HD 4700 or better |
| Battlestar Galactica Online Posted: 26 Sep 2010 07:57 PM PDT Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser based 3D Sci-Fi MMORPG based on the popular Battlestar Galactica franchise. Play as a Cylon or Human and battle it out in space. Players can explore various worlds, and unlock new weapons, ships, and parts as they progress.  Publisher: Bigpoint
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: High
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Faction Based
Filesize: N/A Pros: +Based on a popular Sci-Fi franchise. +Great looking graphics powered by the Unity engine. +Plenty of weapons and ship customization options. Cons: -Limited information available. -No release date set. -Some features will cost real cash. -No land based combat. 
OverviewBattlestar Galactica Online OverviewBattlestar Galactica Online is a new browser based MMORPG being developed by Bigpoint. Its set during season 2 of the popular TV series and gameplay centers on the ongoing conflict between the Cylons and humans. Like Bigpoint’s Dark Orbit, Battlestar Galactica Online is real-time combat and allows players to purchase various ships and outfit them with dozens of parts. But unlike previous Bigpoint titles, Battlestar Galactica Online was build using the powerful Unity engine which means the game has beautiful 3D graphics that are on par with client based games. Players will be able to get off their ships to explore the BSG universe, but there’s no land based combat component. The game scheduled for release in Fall 2010 and the level cap will be 20. Expect more information on Battlestar Galactica Online in the months ahead. Battlestar Galactica Online ScreenshotsBattlestar Galactica Online Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewBattlestar Galactica Online Full ReviewComing Soon… ScreenshotsBattlestar Galactica Online ScreenshotsComing soon… VideosBattlestar Galactica Online VideosBattlestar Galactica Online Teaser Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. |
| Uncharted Waters Online Posted: 11 Jun 2010 09:19 PM PDT Uncharted Waters Online is a 3D fantasy MMORPG with a nautical theme. Travel on land or sea and make your living as a sailor, pirate, merchant, or trader! Set sail for adventure in Uncharted Waters Online!  Publisher: Netmarble
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: Medium Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Low
PvP: Open / Factions
Filesize: 3200 mb Pros: +Battle on land and sea. +In-depth economy/trade system. +Based on a popular series, already big in Asia. +Unique gameplay. Cons: -Already several years old, only now coming to America. -Steep learning curve. – Slow-paced gameplay. 
OverviewUncharted Waters Online OverviewUncharted Waters is an MMORPG based on sailing, trade, and conquest. Set between the 15th and 17th centuries, the game allows players to build or buy ships and sail them across the seas. Trade goods, explore uncharted territory, make discoveries, and conquer neutral cities across the world to expand the wealth and influence of your nation! Uncharted Waters Online is slow-paced and requires a hefty time investment, but those looking for a more involved MMORPG experience will enjoy what UWO has to offer. Nations - Spain, Portugal, Venice, France, The Netherlands, England. Skill Types - Adventure, Trade, Battle Uncharted Waters Online ScreenshotsUncharted Waters Online Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewUncharted Waters Online ReviewBy Erhan Altay The Age of Exploration was a pivotal moment in human history. European nations sent forth their boldest merchants, explorers, and conquerors around the world during this time period. Uncharted Waters Online is not the first free-to-play MMORPG set in the era, but it offers another take on the exciting setting. The game is set between the 15th and 17th centuries and is deeply involved; expect a steep learning curve and plenty of depth. For those looking for a more immersive MMORPG experience, Uncharted Waters Online is worth checking out.  From East to West Uncharted Waters Online may be set in the West, but it was developed in the East. The Japanese studio behind the game is KOEI (best known for their Dynasty Warriors series) which has its own MMORPG version appropriate titled Dynasty Warriors Online. Uncharted Waters was first released in 2005, but is only now making its way to North America thanks to Netmarble, the South Korean studio that also publishes Mini Fighter Online and Prius Online. Despite its age, Uncharted Waters Online still has attractive graphics, and a depth of gameplay rarely seen in free-to-play titles. There are a wide variety of supported resolutions, and players can chose to play in either full screen or windowed mode. The client download process is simple, but Netmarble does require players to install a browser plug-in. Character creation involves selecting between one of the six major European powers of the time including Spain, Portugal, Venice, France, The Netherlands, and England. Next up, players must chose which set of skills to start with. There are three basic job paths to chose from, Adventure, Trade, and Military. While each starts with a different batch of skills, any character can learn any skill in Uncharted Waters. Besides ship and combat-based skills, players can master different world languages, or trade related skills such as keeping accounts. Appearance customization is diverse; players choose from several body types, face styles, skin tones, hair colors, and hair styles.  Back to School New players aren't just left to fend for themselves in Uncharted Waters. Players start in a school with three NPC instructors, each corresponding with one of the three job types. These NPCs offer quests which explain the game's basics and offer small rewards along the way. It is vital for beginners to complete these quests, despite how slow-paced they are. Uncharted Waters is not an easy game to figure out and players who decide to drop out of school will find themselves aimlessly wandering their starting city, or the seas nearby. The interface is functional at best; for some reason it reminded me of a console RPG. Moving from one interface menu to another takes a split second, and when NPCs reward players with items, they're received one at a time. It's hard to explain, but it just has the JRPG feel. Movement can be controlled with either the keyboard (W,A,S,D) or point and click via the mouse. Both methods work well, and characters will actually walk for a moment before breaking out into a jog. It's a nice touch, but it does nothing to speed the game along. There's no way to jump or roll forward either, but players can auto-walk by clicking an icon on the minimap.  Land and Sea Of all the sailing-themed MMORPGs available, Uncharted Waters Online is most similar to Voyage Century, developed by Snail Game and published in the US by IGG. Both are 'realistic' compared to the animated Florensia and Pirates of the Caribbean Online. Rather than hacking and slashing at groups of zombies right away, players in Uncharted Waters will be able to make discoveries, trade goods between ports, and take part in naval battles. The game supports both land-based and sea-based combat. But before to getting to that, players will have to go through a long tutorial process that methodically explains each basic aspect including equipment, eating food to restore vigour, skills, and ship maintenance. Besides teaching the basics, these steps provide experience. There's actually more to equipping armor in Uncharted Waters than most other MMORPGs. The clothes you wear effect not only your stats and appearance, but also your 'formality' and 'disguise' rating. Certain NPCs won't talk to player who don't have high enough formality. When exploring Turkish controlled lands, players will need to wear the native garb to fit in. Their 'disguise' stat will determine if they fit in well enough to avoid drawing suspicion.  Fitting A Vessel Just as characters can be equipped, so can ships. Besides sails, cannons, and rams, players will have to stock their ships with munitions, food, sailors, and timber before heading out to sea. Port passes are required before docking at cities, so players shouldn't venture too far before they've earned them. Eventually the game will introduce naval combat. When at sea, there are two ways for a battle to begin. Either a player can initiate a battle, or have someone else start one with them. In either case, a large circle forms around the participants and acts as the arena. If either participant manages to sail past the circle, they manage to retreat and end the battle. The most common form of combat involves trading cannon shots from a distance. The larger a ship, the more cannons it can equip. Smaller ships are more maneuverable which makes it easier for them to ram opponents. If ships come in contact, their crews will fight it out in melee combat.  The Life of a Lord Uncharted Waters Online isn't just about combat. There's a whole host of other activities, and goals to aim towards. Players can own farms, private residences, and make riches by trading. There's a banking system that actually pays interest on deposits and offers different levels of insurance that protect valuable vessels and cargo. A third of the game's skills are dedicated to 'Adventuring', which mainly boils down to scouring the world for discoveries in the form of ancient ruins, works of art, religious relics, rare animals, plants, and so on. This is definitely not a game for everyone, it can take days just to get a grip of whats going on, but those looking for something deep, more involved than the typical grind fest should give Uncharted Waters a serious look. It's a game players can invest their time in for years; it’s already proved successful in Asia and shown that it has lasting power. The localization has been pulled off very well, all the text was in perfect English and actually made sense. In that regard, its way ahead of Voyage Century, but it is also older. The graphics are not quite as vibrant, and it can take longer before players experience any of the action. For those willing to put in the time, Uncharted Waters Online will prove rewarding. Final Verdict: Good Uncharted Waters Online is a unique MMORPG that stands out from the crowd thanks to its nautical, and trade-based gameplay. Sailing the seven seas takes patience as much as boldness, but players willing to invest the time won't be disappointed by the depth Uncharted Waters Online offers. Those looking for something faster paced or action oriented need not bother. ScreenshotsUncharted Waters Online Screenshots VideosUncharted Waters Online VideosUncharted Waters Online Cinematic Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Uncharted Waters Online Character Creation Click here to view the embedded video. Uncharted Waters Online Overview Click here to view the embedded video. System RequirementsUncharted Waters Online System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP SP2
CPU: Pentium 3 800MHz
RAM: 256 MB
HDD: 9 GB Free
Graphics Card: 32mb Recommended Specification:
OS: Windows Vista / 7
CPU: Pentium 4 2.6 GHz or higher
RAM: 1 GB or more
HDD: 10 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForge 6600 GT or better |
| Travians Posted: 27 Apr 2010 10:02 AM PDT Travians is a 2D fantasy MMORPG with the same graphic style and atmosphere as the strategy game Travian. Collect resources, upgrade your estate, fight bandits, and play minigames in the world of Travians!  Publisher: Travian Games
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: Low
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: High
PvP: Duels
Filesize: N/A Pros: +3 races to chose from. +In-depth player housing & customization. +Over a dozen minigames. +Join or create clubs & guilds. Cons: -Limited daily actions. -Slow paced combat. -Paying players receive large advantages. -More social features than gameplay elements.
OverviewTravians OverviewTravians is a simple browser MMORPG set in the same universe as the strategy game Travian. Unlike its predecessor, Travians takes a more personal approach. Players control a single villager who must improve his or her village day by day. Travians restricts gameplay with something called Occupation Points, players have a maximum of 30 and must spend one in order to gather resources. Occupation points convert to Action points when used and are required to play multi-player minigames. Overall, the game promotes a social experience where making friends and having guests visit your home play a larger role than the turn-based combat. Tribes - Roman, Teuton, Gaul Resources - Wood, Clay, Ore, Grain, Flour, Coal, Wooden Boards, Bricks, Iron, Bread Minigames - Get Four, Tic-Tac-Toe, Dots & Boxes, Battle Ships, Reversi, Chess, Blackjack, Skat, Poker, Dice Duel, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Checkers, Backgammon, Mill, Combat Bricks, Domino Travians ScreenshotsTravians Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewTravians Full ReviewBy, Jaime Skelton Travians is a casual browser-based MMORPG from the creators of Travian. Unlike Travian, which is an MMORTS, Travians offers a more casual, mini-game based atmosphere for players. A little more like a virtual world, Travians offers players plenty to do over a long stretch of time.  Starting on the Right Foot After creating your Travians account, including choosing a race and gender, you’ll enter the world on a tutorial island. This tutorial island will walk you through the very basics of Travians, which mainly consists of being able to harvest resources – a simple process which simply involves clicking on a harvestable area (which will highlight with a tooltip when moused over) and waiting for the animation to finish. New players also pick up basics like talking to NPCs, decorating houses, and the use of occupation and action points (more on that in a bit). What impressed me, however, is that within two minutes of my character appearing on this tutorial island, another person had teleported to me and welcomed me to Travians, asking me if I had any questions. I soon found out that every new player gets their own starting mentor, which they can immediately ask for help or resources, and which they have an opportunity to rate in a small survey after they leave the starting area. For the record, my mentor was very friendly and although I didn’t ask any questions of her, she still offered several helpful tips as I set off on my own. For any MMO, the mentor greeting is a nice touch, and Travians seemed to do it well.  OP, AP, SP Like many free-to-play browser games, Travians utilizes a limited point system in which players receive a certain number of action points per day to do various things in the game world. In Travians, however, there are multiple levels of these points, each determining a different thing that players can do in the world. The first of these kinds of points are occupation points, and are the basic points renewed on a daily basis for all players. These points allow players to harvest or process raw materials (ore, lumber, clay, and grain). When used, occupation points convert into the second type of points: action points. Action points are used for mini-games, working in the tavern, and fighting in the arena; winning at these events results in an award of social points. Social points are, in turn, a secondary form of currency that can be used for decorating and upgrading your personal and guild house.  What’s the Point? If you’re familiar with Travian, you’ll know that the original game involved real-time strategy elements including building up your own city and army. While many of the elements in Travians are familiar to Travian players, what Travians doesn’t offer is the strategic element known of its predecessor. Think of Travians more like a virtual world for casual players, and less like an MMO. For instance, resources are still harvested, but are used more for guild building and trade than for building up strength. Instead of managing a city, a Travians player managers their own single-player house (and that of their guild, if they run one.) Goals are personally set: build a massive guild house, perhaps, or top any of the multiple charts, from becoming a mini-game master to an arena master. The choice is yours, and open to your playstyle.  Finding Things to Do In an open world like Travians, there are several things to do. Of course, the basic action that all players will invest time in is harvesting and/or processing one of the four basic resources. You are given the chance to pick one of four harvesting occupations, and can later change this to processing applications (such as baking bread or making clay bricks). Your occupation determines where you are the most productive, and all end up about equally profitable, so it merely comes down to personal preference as to where you’d like to click. Once you’ve worked your share and sent your goods off for sale, you’re free to use your action points for mini-games or fighting. Travians offers a great selection of mini-games to play against other players, most quick and easy to play. Mini-games range from board game classics like backgammon and chess, to modern classics like Tetris and Get Four (ala Connect Four), to card games like Poker and Blackjack. Fighting in the arena is also an option, letting players match against fitting opponents in a turn-based fight. All of this also requires the maintenance of four status bars: hunger, fun, sleep, and hygiene. Hunger manages whether or not your character can use tools, which increase the number of OP you can use at once, as well as the rewards you gain from using them. Fun influences the amount of experience you gain; without fun in your status meter, you’ll gain half-experience. Sleep helps regenerate OP faster, and fills at a basic rate of 8 hours for a full bar. Poor hygiene will reduce SP gain from activities and increase the market rate from NPCs. All of these bars, in other words, are very important to keep at least partially filled at any time.  Moving Slowly Travians also offers quests for the player, but don’t expect to breeze through them. Quests are unlocked to players over a course of time – and that time spans over 100 days simply in the first generation. As players age, they will eventually retire and pass down their earnings, house, and achievements to their children. This passing on of genes also unlocks new quests for the player, and a chance to ‘start fresh’ without losing everything in the process. This means, of course, that things move slowly in Travians. Although designed for the casual player who can only spend a little time each day, Travians encourages a long term commitment to see the fruition of their efforts. This can especially be felt in the first week of the game, where I found myself, for instance, simply logging in for a few minutes a day to use my points or play mini-games, while I waited to earn the money or pass the time to acquire my next quest. Final Verdict: Good Travians is definitely for the casual gamer who has the patience to wait for the rewards from their game time. It offers great social gameplay, especially for fans or players of Travian who are looking for something a little less competitive or time-intensive. It’s a balance of fun and work: there’s not much exciting about clicking over and over on the same work area just to get action points, but the mini-games and enjoyability of building your own home is rewarding in the end. There’s great community aspects to Travians, and it’s fair to say that it has definitely earned its awards. ScreenshotsTravians Screenshots |
| Allods Online Posted: 17 Aug 2009 09:03 PM PDT Allods Online, or just Allods for short, is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG with some interesting Sci-Fi elements. The game mixes high fantasy elements with the space opera genre, but with a much greater emphasis on fantasy. Unlike other MMORPGs, Allods Online has a great emphasis on its storyline. The game takes place after the destruction of the planet Sarnout which led to the formation of floating islands in space called Allods. Fight for either the Empire or the League in this extremely polished MMORPG.  Publisher: Gpotato
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Low
PvP: Duels / Astral Battles / Open PvP / Arenas
Filesize: ~2,520 MB Installer Pros: +Unique monster designs. +Unique astral battles (PvP). +In depth storyline. +Many playable classes (8) and Archetypes. +Beautifully designed world. +Solid interface. +Plenty of quests. Cons: -Looks far too similar to WoW to be a coincidence. -Manually having to attack can get annoying. -Cash shop punishes non-paying players.
OverviewAllods OverviewAllods Online is a unique 3D Fantasy MMORPG with a mix of Sci-Fi elements. The game’s graphics look a lot like Blizzard’s World of Warcraft while gameplay is a bit more like Warhammer Online. The game has a strong emphasis on both storyline and PvP, as the game promises a ‘captivating story’ and ‘intense PvP action’. The game’s most unique component though is its ship battles in space against either NPCs or other players. The game’s graphics are absolutely gorgeous and resemble World of Warcraft, but with higher quality textures. The game has six races, eight playable classes and a whopping 28 different archetypes. The game is without a doubt one of the best free to play MMORPGs currently on the market. Allods ScreenshotsAllods Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewAllods ReviewBy Cody Hargreaves 'In the beginning, there was World of Warcraft. In the end, there was Allods Online.' I wouldn't be at all surprised if ten years from now, the above mantra was as familiar to the MMO community as 'NEED MOAR HEALZ' is today; having just spent a day adventuring in Allods Online myself and bearing witness to what very well could be the future kingpin of MMOs. I don't want to add another layer of hype to a game with a fan following that could rival WoW itself already, but it's difficult not to be excited. Allods Online looks like WoW, feels like WoW, plays like WoW – and it's completely free to play. Sure, there have been WoW clones before, Gates of Andaron and Runes of Magic come to mind, but they were missing that key aspect that makes WoW the game it has grown to become today. They were missing that one little thing that until now, all free-to-play developers have overlooked. They were missing 'polish', and Allods Online has polish in spades.  A Little Dash of Warcraft
I don't want to spend a lot of time dwelling on the many ways in which Allods Online has imitated World of Warcraft – we've all heard that before, and we're all tired of listening to it – but in many ways, if I left this part out, there's be no game left to review. This is because Allods hasn't simply 'borrowed' a couple of UI preferences from WoW, it has literally copied them all to perfection, and it's mostly due to that reason alone that Allods is so much fun to play. Character creation, for example, is remarkably similar to WoW. You begin by selecting a faction from either The League or The Empire (Alliance and Horde respectively); then by selecting a race from one of six races; Elves, Gibberlings and a human variation called Kanians for The League, and Orcs, Arisen and another human variation called Xadaganians for The Empire (again, all very similar to WoW); and then by selecting one of the eight available classes. These are also very similar to WoW, but have their own special flavor, too. You can choose from a Warrior, Paladin, Scout, Healer, Warden, Mage, Summoner or Psionicist; however, only select races can choose select classes, and depending on the race you select, your archetype changes completely. For example, if you were to choose to be an Elf Paladin, your class would be Templar, whereas if you were to choose an Orc Paladin, you would be a Reaver. Each of these archetypes have their own flavor and style in the form of aesthetics and a passive ability that enhances their most common attribute, and quite frankly, it's a magnificent addition to Allods that shouldn't be overlooked.  With your character created, you'll begin playing with one of the very few 'unique' elements of Allods, that is, an instanced starting area/tutorial with an active story and interactive gameplay. The actual area you begin playing in is decided by your faction – with The League beginning in their home city as it is destroyed, and your tutorial following the escape; and The Empire beginning on a flying airship in the midst of battle – and then, the rest is history. The interface, gameplay mechanics, spells, professions, hotkeys, quest markers and style, even the equipment screen – have all been ripped straight from WoW, and as such, it's all familiar, and it's all good. A Whole New World
Judging by my choice of section titles in this review, I'd have to say that I'm in something of a Disney mood today, and I'd wager that has a lot to do with the visuals in Allods. It looks almost identical to WoW, but with a new colorful lick of paint, and some higher quality textures and designs that carry a heavy Disney undertone. The overall design and architecture are similarly fantastic, with tall, expertly crafted buildings littering The Empire starting zone (a large city-like area), and lush, green forests and magic-infused skies for The League area. The sound however, isn't so impressive. In some areas, the music is as expected – adventurous and epic on all counts – though other areas, like The Empire's starting zone, are in an entirely different vein. Whimsical, I guess you could describe it as, and entirely unpleasant to the ears. Of course, that's nothing iTunes can't take care of, and the sound and battle effects are mostly top notch.  Moving forward, Allods does bring some innovation to the table, and it comes in quite a few forms. The first, fatigue, is an innovative spin-off from the WoW coined 'rest' system, whereby the longer a person spends playing and completing quests, the more fatigue they can accumulate. Fatigue appears in your character’s experience bar in blue and gains at a 1:1 ratio with regular experience. If an enemy is worth 50 EXP they’re also worth 50 Fatigue. Fatigue accumulated can be exchanged at an Innkeeper for additional experience up to a certain amount each day, which essentially creates a soft ‘cap’ on experience each day. Players are free to continue playing and leveling even after they reached their daily cap on fatigue, but they’ll basically be gaining EXP at 50% of the normal rate because they won’t be able to exchange fatigue for EXP. The system adds a nice layer of depth and decision to the mix, and while much of the mechanics behind its implementation are still in the 'grey area', I'm sure it won't be too long before all is made clear.  Not So Similar After All
Death in Allods is also innovative, however far less impressive. When you die you'll automatically be taken to Purgatory, and required to wait there to be resurrected. There are penalties applied in later levels in the same WoW vein, but you won't have to run around trying to find your body, you'll simply return at the nearest 'resurrection point' instead. The talent system (while visually identical to WoW) also boasts some ingenuity. You receive one talent point each time you level, which can then be used to 'purchase' a new skill, or upgrade another one in the talent tree. Also like WoW, you'll need to assign points in the first row before you can descend to the second, and so on. And while we're on the topic of leveling, that's a little different in Allods, too. For a start, it's much slower than the norm, taking more than five hours of play to attain a level 7 character, and too, there are literally hundreds and hundreds of quests to complete (that show up on your map to make finding them easier), so you'll never need to grind. And then there's my favorite innovation, the ability to add stat points to individual statistics upon reaching a new level, much like in say, Diablo, allowing for some fantastic PvP and character customization at later levels, as every player will essentially be different to the next depending on their choice in stats.  For The HOR… EMPIRE!
Speaking of PvP, Allods has both some very familiar WoW themed elements, and some innovative ones, too. For example, there are certain sections of the world where PvP is always available, and some where it is only available if you have 'flagged' yourself (much like WoW), effectively saying that you'd like to PvP. However, in the sections where you are required to flag to PvP, players who are flagged earn 110% experience from enemies, whereas those players who do not, only earn 90%. Also, Allods has an extremely innovative Airship PvP system, which allows you to take control of an Airship, battle in the air, and board an enemy players ship to fight them, and should you succeed, loot their ship's hold. Sadly, this feature wasn't implemented in the Closed Beta, and is for higher level players, so I've yet to experience it myself. Though I hear it's going to be fantastic. The game also has arena based PvP for those interested in that.  Final Verdict — Excellent
All in all, Allods Online is an amazingly impressive free-to-play MMO. While at the time of writing it has its flaws – some lag issues now and then and the occasional interface glitch – it's an incredibly enjoyable MMO that makes up for what it lacks in innovation with smooth, gorgeous visuals, engaging (if familiar)gameplay, and bucket loads of polish. I'd feel confident in calling this one the biggest MMO of the year, and if another MMO can top it, well, then it's going to be a good year. ScreenshotsAllods Screenshots System RequirementsAllods System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 or better.
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 3 GB Free
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 9600+ VGA Card Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: 2 GHz Pentium 4
RAM: 1024 MB (1GB)
HDD: 3 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia 6600 VGA Card |
| Aika Online Posted: 16 Aug 2009 09:43 PM PDT Aika, also called Aika Online, is a 3D Fantasy MMORPG with gorgeous high end graphics and a strong emphasis on Realm vs Realm PvP combat. The game is immensely popular in Korea and is has some addictive fast paced gameplay. Fight for your nation in the game’s epic Realm vs Realm system with up to 1000 vs 1000 battles.  Publisher: Gpotato
Playerbase: High
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Realm vs Realm / Arena Battles / Guild Battles
Filesize: ~1050 MB Installed Pros: +Good Interface. +Impressive PvP System (1000 Vs. 1000 RvR). +Nice variety of quests. +Great skill animations and effects.+Interesting ‘Pran’ pet system. +Excellent voice overs. +Well written quest dialogue. Cons: -Gender locked classes. -Limited character customization options. -Little direction early on.
OverviewAika OverviewAika is a PvP heavy free fantasy MMORPG that closely resembles the PvP elements in pay to play MMORPGs like Dark Age of Camelot and Warhammer Online. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the game’s Realm vs Realm battles is that the game can handle up to 1000 vs. 1000 battles, which is quite a feat as the game has beautiful graphics and effects. Aika is actually one of the first free to play MMORPGs with a large scale Realm vs Realm system and the first to actually have solid, genuinely fun gameplay. With many playable classes, a unique ‘Pran’ pet system and many more interesting features, Aika is certainly well worth checking out. The game’s six playable classes are: Fighter (M) - Like in most other MMORPGs, the fighter in Aika is a powerful melee oriented class. They have high hitpoints and defense and make great tanks. They wear metal armor. Dual Gunner (F) - Dual Gunners specialize in mid-range DPS and Damage over Time skills. They wear leather armor. Warlock (M) - Warlocks are the primary offensive spellcasters in Aika. They can deal quite a bit of damage with their spells, but have low hitpoints and defense. They wear cloth armor. Paladin (F) - Paladins are a mix between warriors and clerics. They are capable fighters as well as a good supporting class. They wear metal. Rifleman (M) - They specialize in dealing damage from a long distance, making them the ideal long-range DPS class. They wear leather armor Cleric (F) - They are the primary supportive class in Aika. They are incredibly helpful to any party as they have both healing and supportive skills. They wear cloth armor. Aika ScreenshotsAika Featured VideoClick here to view the embedded video. Full ReviewAika PreviewBy, Jamie Skelton Aika is a fantasy MMORPG published by Gala-Net (Flyff, Rappelz, and Allods Online) and produced by JoyImpact (Neo Steam). Combining classic MMO elements with special twists on ideas like the personal pet (Pran) and rewarding PvP combat, Aika is a beautiful game with potential to be one of the best F2P MMOs available.  The Dark Arts are for Men Only Aika offers six classes to choose from: two melee (Warrior and Paladin), two ranged (Rifleman and Dual Gunner), and two casters (Warlock and Cleric.) Classes are gender-locked, meaning only male characters can be Warriors, Riflemen, and Warlocks, while only female characters can be Paladins, Dual Gunners, and Clerics. Character customization itself is not fantastic, but there are enough options for hair, hair color, and face to feel at least a little bit apart from the rest of your newbie brethren. Although gender-locked classes are a disappointment, each class offers something unique to both PvE and PvP elements. Regardless of class, players won’t feel unwanted for groups or PvP.  Involved in the Story Aika has a great deal of classic MMORPG components, including storyline-based questing. Quests in Aika are made more intriguing, partially because to receive them, players must go through series of scripted dialogue between the player character and the NPC. This is a different system than the traditional block of text followed by objectives and a reward. The artful story-telling doesn’t get in the way of clear quest objectives, which are included in both an on-screen tracker and decent hints in your quest log. Even when the quest dialogue fails to expose where the "bad guy" is, the quest interface will direct players to the name of the enemy they need to find and what area it can be found. And, as a bonus, Aika is well-translated and localized – the "Engrish" common to many free-to-plays is nowhere to be found.  Meet Your Fairy Daughter While other MMORPGs may make you wait dozens of levels before earning access to signature things in the game, Aika gets the ball rolling early. You only gain a few levels before you’re sent off to meet your Pran (also known as your "daughter"). The Pran is essentially a pet system somewhat similar to that of Perfect World International. Prans are fairy children, and the first part of getting your Pran is to find three "rare" drops off three enemies found outside the city within an hour. Although these are rare drops, they are relatively easy to get – I got each of mine in less than ten kills of each creature. Next is choosing the type of Pran you want: Fire (offensive), Water (recovery and defense), or Air (evasive). Collect the right amount of elemental essences for your Pran choice, which are rare drops from the creatures nearby, as a sort of tribute to your Fairy and the Pran system. The essences may take a while to get, unless you choose to trade or buy them off other players, who are pretty willing to make that arrangement. Finally you’ll get your Pran, who starts off as a little buzzing fairy that annoys your Captain, but will eventually evolve into a young girl, whose appearance will change based on the choices you make in feeding and talking with her.  Early Grouping Not only do you get your Pran early on, you don’t have to wait very long for grouping, either. Before you even hit level ten, you’ll be assigned to check out a new area via a teleporter. This fortress is designed for groups, and comes both with both a normal mode (designed for levels 10+) and a hard mode (designed for 16+). This actually comes as a pleasant surprise for those who enjoy grouping in MMOs, but often find it sparse before end-game content. An in-game LFG tool, that combines chat with a group search features, is also available. Players who prefer to go solo, however, are free to ignore the instance missions if they like, and come back and solo them at higher levels.  Excuse Me, Lord Marshal For those who love the adrenaline rush of PvP, Aika won’t disappoint, with several types of PvP events that can host thousands of players in massive raids. A common starting point for players are Battlegrounds, organized arena team play similar to that in World of Warcraft – a sort of PvP training ground. These battles can range from teams of 6 to teams of 24, in matches created by players. Players have full choice when creating a battleground as to team size, time limits, game modes, and the winning score criteria. PvP opens up further in the world itself, in two other types of PvP: Castle Sieges and Nation Wars. Castle Sieges are regularly scheduled events that pit guilds of players vying for the chance to capture the flag of an enemy castle. The winners become rulers of the defeated nation, and the leader of the guild who contributed the most to the win becomes the Lord Marshal, granting that single player the right to change the nation’s tax rates, withdraw from the national treasury, and even make announcements to the entire nation. Players must be careful not to abuse their power, however, as that may make enemies in future PvP scenarios. Nations, of course – of which there are five – can also war against each other, invading territories, destroying guardian stones, and stealing from national altars. Lakia’s five nations also compete for control of relic, locked away in Temples. These relics grant nation-wide buffs, but also must be protected in the owning nation’s temple, which Lord Marshals can direct monetary assistance to. The entire Aika PvP system is intricate, and successful nations are those that work cooperatively, planning both offensive and defensive moves, as well as managing resources through the current Lord Marshal.  Gearing Up On Your Own Crafting is also available for players who enjoy it, allowing them to create their own armor and weapons at a significant discount to directly purchasing them from vendors. Materials are a very common drop from any enemy, and the crafting UI (available at a forge in town) is simple enough to understand with just a few clicks. Gear can also be enhanced through an enchanter, have its requirements leveled down by a smith, or have its properties transferred to another piece of equipment – all convenient ways of managing and enhancing your gear without stress.  An Orchestrated Story From the moment you set foot in Aika as a young Aitan, the strong tones of the soundtrack surround you. This isn’t a weak soundtrack either, no boring repeats of some generic music. This is a soundtrack fitting of a full-blown RPG. Special events and quests will also suddenly throw in a new musical piece, to switch you, for instance, from the idyllic tunes of the countryside to something more militaristic as you meet your regiment’s captain. At the same time, the system knows that music can be overbearing and will silence itself after a while of staying in the same area. The music isn’t the only thing to amaze you, either: the entire world is populated with beautifully created graphics, natural lighting, and scenery worth pausing to look at from time to time.  Final Verdict: Great While Aika may not be the most inventive MMORPG on the market, with many systems familiar to MMO veterans, it certainly stands out from the crowd. The game has a charm about it, whether it’s making an individual feel valuable even in the midst of a battle against hundreds, or making social aspects a key element of its PvP system. Aika is a great game for those who enjoy meaningful player versus player combat, and offers a stellar RPG to boot, making it an MMORPG worth trying at least once. ScreenshotsAika Screenshots System RequirementsAika System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 or better.
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 2 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia FX 5200 or better Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: 2 GHz Pentium 4
RAM: 1024 MB (1GB)
HDD: 2 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia 6600 |
| 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 |
Okay everyone, Path is really sorry that they did something really creepy and didn't think tot ell anyone first. The mobile start up is attempting to talk its way out of the outrage stepping from a discovery recently that user address books were being uploaded to the Path servers without any notification. CEO Dave Morin has posted a lengthy apology on the 
Hacker collective Anonymous has a reputation for targeting authoritarian regimes, and the government crackdown in Syria has led the group to begin hammering away. Anonymous has just released a cache of emails from the mail servers used by Syria's Ministry of Presidential Affairs. The 
Amazon announced a deal with 
Streaming works well for music and movies, so why not push out software updates that way as well? That's the question Avast Software asked itself when building Avast 7, the next major release of its antivirus software set to hit the streets sometime later this year. Avast 7 will give users streaming updates on new malware threats in addition to regular virus database updates, Avast Software says.
With Bill Gates out of the picture, Microsoft and its employees didn't skip a beat in 2011 with its philanthropic efforts, raising over $100 million for more than 18,000 U.S.-based community organizations. It's the most Microsoft has ever raised as part of its employee giving campaign, in which worker donations are matched by Microsoft dollar for dollar.
Intel and AMD know a thing or three about processors, and between the two, there's barely any room left over in the desktop market for competing players. In the mobile handset and tablet sectors, however, both chip giants play second fiddle to ARM, which rules the mobile roost with low power processors. The reason for this is simple: ARM processors are cheaper.
With all the focus on mobile chips and as-yet-unreleased Ivy Bridge and Trinity processors, sometimes it's easy to lose sight of the fact that, you know, there are already a ton of processors out there for you to choose from. That number recently increased by two, as AMD quietly rolled out a pair of new Athlon II X4 CPUs, otherwise known as "Llano chips without integrated graphics."
Rambus, a memory technology licensing company, announced today it has signed a patent license agreement with GPU maker Nvidia that will be valid for the next years. As part of the five-year deal, the two sides agreed to settle all outstanding claims against each other, ending what had become a bitter and stretched out legal dispute over various patent innovations.
So, what do you think about that new Metro interface in Windows 8? If you ask ten geeks that question, you'll end up with ten different answers -- and a lot of them won't be positive. Up until this point, however, we could only base our opinions on 
Whether you're into widescreen gaming, day trading, multitasking, or just stretching windows until they're really, really big, a multiple monitor setup is the only way to fly. Us geeks have been keen to the secret for a while now (Eyefinity, anyone?) but sales numbers from 2011 seem to indicate that dual-screen madness may be starting to take the world by storm -- and that most buyers think bigger is better.
