MMO News |
- Runes of Magic
- Golfstar
- Faxion Online
- Iris Online
- Champions Online
- Loong: The Power of the Dragon
- Divine Souls
| 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 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. Overview Runes 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 Screenshots          Runes of Magic Feature Video Full Review Runes 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… 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 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  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.
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 Screenshots Runes of Magic Screenshots                   Videos Runes of Magic VideosRunes of Magic Featured Video Click here to view the embedded video. Runes of Magic Gameplay Video Click here to view the embedded video. Runes of Magic Official Trailer Video Click here to view the embedded video. Runes of Magic Combat Video Click here to view the embedded video. Runes of Magic Housing Video System Requirements Runes of Magic System RequirementsMinimum Requirements:
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| 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 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. Overview Golfstar 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 Screenshots          Golfstar Featured Video Full Review Golfstar 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. Screenshots Golfstar Screenshots                  System Requirements Golfstar RequirementsMinimum Requirements: Recommended Specifications: |
| Posted: 18 Sep 2010 07:28 PM PDT Faxion Online is a 3D fantasy MMORPG with combat driven gameplay and a heavy emphasis on PvP. Fight on the side of Heaven or Hell in the epic struggle between Good and Evil. Faxion Online has multiple methods of progression and promises to reward player skill rather than grinding.  Publisher: UTV True Games Pros: +Competitive PvP system. +Fight for control of territory. +Action oriented gameplay. +Multi-classing. +Unique environments. Cons: -Combat feels a bit slow paced.
Overview Faxion Online OverviewFaxion Online pits the armies of Heaven and Hell against each other for control over Limbo, the territory that exists between them. Players will be able to join the side of Good or Evil in the struggle for control over various regions, each named after one of the seven deadly sins. Faxion Online promises action driven combat, and a heavy emphasis on PvP. The production team includes people who worked on Ultima Online and Shadowbane so expectations are high. Faxion is being developed as a full feature MMORPG, so expect ample PvE content, an expansive backstory and lore, and a wide range of environments to explore and monsters to slay. The game hopes to use a novel progression system which moves away from the typical grind based ‘stand and fight’ model. Offline advancement and multi-classing will help ensure the most skilled player comes out ahead, not the one that put in the most time. Faxion Online Screenshots       Faxion Online Featured Video Full Review Faxion Online ReviewComing soon… Screenshots Faxion Online ScreenshotsComing soon… Videos Faxion Online VideosFaxion Online Official Teaser Trailer System Requirements Faxion Online RequirementsMinimum Requirements: Recommended Specifications: |
| Posted: 17 Aug 2010 11:21 PM PDT Iris Online is 3D fantasy MMORPG with a gypsy theme. Players can chose between three races and can explore the anime-inspired world of Arcana. Experience a unique environment centered on 22 tarot cards, including The Fool, The Chariot, and Wheel of Fortune.  Publisher: gPotato Pros: +3 playable races, 6 starting classes. +Unique tarot card feature. +Transform into monsters using cards. +Themed instanced dungeons. Cons: -Limited inventory space. -Familiar gameplay and character progression. -Visual style may not appeal to some players.
Overview Iris Online OverviewIris Online is a free-to-play MMORPZG developed by Eyasoft, the same studio behind Luna Online. Like Luna, Iris boasts a cute, anime-inspired visual style. But don’t let the graphics fool you, Iris Online is a full-feature MMORPG with a unique gypsy theme. Tarot cards effect much of the world, including the twenty-two instanced dungeons, each of which have a different theme based off one of the cards. Players can collect monster cards off almost any enemy in the game and use them to transform into those monsters. PvP battle zones pit up to fifteen players near the same level against each other. Players progress by gaining experience and skill points. The game has a variety of races and classes to choose from. Human - Easily adaptable race that possess great strength and excels at technology. Fighter - Fighters rely on brute strength and large weapons to deal heavy damage at melee range. Mage - Arcane spellcasters who fight from a distance. They can buff allies, but are fragile in combat. Hybrid - Half-human, half-animal. Hybrids have high strength and stamina, though their knowledge of magic is limited. Warrior - Equipped with heavy armor, warriors are always at the forefront of battle where they can defend their allies. Rogue - Shrewd combatants that rely on speed and cunning. Rogues exploit vulnerabilities in their opponents. Elf - Elves are the oldest race in Arcana. They have unmatched knowledge and an affinity for nature Ranger - Trackers and outdoorsmen. Rangers are masters of stealthy movement and the gun. They can also use daggers. Shaman - Masters of fire, air, earth, and water magic. Shamans can summon elementals to aid them. Iris Online Screenshots          Iris Online Featured Video Full Review Iris Online ReviewBy Erhan Altay Most anime-themed fantasy MMORPGs tend to be very similar, but once in a while a game like Iris Online comes along and adds a new twist to the genre. Iris Online is developed by the Korean studio Eyasoft and published in North America on Gala-Net's gPotato portal. Eyasoft is behind a number of anime styled games including Luna Online and the recent Legend of Edda, but Iris Online is different from those titles. It has a 'Gypsy' theme, which means the world is filled with tarot cards, carnivals, and circus themed areas and instances. Behind the brightly colored visual style is an in-depth MMORPG with varied races, classes, PvP options, and other features.  Races of Arcana Iris Online entered beta testing in the middle of October in 2010, and with a 2.4 gb client size, its a fairly large game. Each account has five character slots per server, which is almost enough to cover the six starting classes. There are three playable races to chose from: Human, Hybrid, and Elf. Each of these has two distinct classes available, for a grand total of six. There are a few face, hair, and hair color options, but appearance customization is very limited overall. The character models themselves look great. After character creation, the game prompts players with an option to take part in the tutorial. It's short, and explains some of the original features found later in the game. There's also a reward for completing it, so new players should run through it at least once.  Sign Up for the Circus The tutorial in Iris Online takes place in a circus-themed zone where players are introduced to a new aspect of gameplay in each room. The game supports both keyboard (W,A,S,D) and point-and-click controls which will please many gamers. Better still, the keyboard controls actually feel fluid. This is one of the few Asian developed free-to-play MMORPGs where I felt more comfortable using W,A,S,D over the mouse. Players can even jump by hitting the space bar, but this propels them far into the air and is rarely practical. After learning to move, the next quest explains a bit about the game's lore. Most gamers will skip past this, but just remember that the world is called Arcana, and the races had to work together to defeat some evil force long ago. Next, players can choose between three cat mounts. Mounts come in all shapes and sizes in Iris Online including giant cats, crabs, and so on. Newbies won't be able to keep their tutorial mount, it only serves to show them how to use one. The interface in Iris Online is simple, the map is opened by hitting 'M', the quest log opens with the 'L' key, and inventory with the 'I' key. The only major complaints with the interface are the limited inventory space of twenty-five slots that new players start with, and the inability to view maps beside the one a character is currently in.  Fortune Telling One major feature that distinguishes Iris Online from other free-to-play games is its Gypsy theme. Tarots cards, which are still used by fortune tellers today, have perhaps the most well known aspect of Gypsy culture. These cards, and especially the twenty-two major ones, play an important role in Iris Online. Each of the original twenty-two instanced dungeons in the game are based off one of the twenty-two major Tarot cards. Veteran gamers may have come across these cards before in other games like the Persona or Ultima series. They include cards like 'The Fool', 'Judgment', and 'The Emperor.' The order that a person draws these cards is supposed to reveal something about their fortune, but in Iris they play a role in weapon customization, crafting, and monster summoning. The tutorial explains most of these features, but its important to note that besides the twenty-two major tarot cards, there are fifty-six minor ones. On top of that, nearly every monster in the game (including raid bosses) have a chance of dropping cards. The cards monsters drop come in two forms: one type can be attached to equipment Ragnarok Online style, while the other kind is used to temporarily transform into the particular monster that dropped it. Each monster has a unique set of skills, and buffs. Cards are also used in crafting and can be combined with other items to create completely new items.  Character Growth Progression in Iris Online is fairly linear. Players gain experience by hunting and completing quests, but they also gain SXP (skill experience) independently of their base experience. When the SXP bar fills, players are rewarded with a skill point which can be distributed among the multple skill trees each class has. Each starting class has access to two or more weapon/spell types, and each is represented by its own skill tree. Rogues, for example, can use rifles or dual daggers. Shamans can specialize in divine or offensive magic. Fighters can specialize in two-handed swords, dual swords, or sword & shield skills. All classes have a passive skill tree which contains permanent boosts to health, damage output, or particular stats. It is possible to spread skill points across multiple specializations, but this is not recommended. Players can a free skill reset at level 30, when they can make their first job change, but must use a cash shop item if they mess up before or after that time. Base experience is a lot simpler. Players don't receive stat points as they level, they increase automatically and can be raised further with magic equipment and buffs. Besides skills, there is one extra layer of customization in the form of an elemental 'Force.' There are four forces to chose from: Helen (fire), Nero (water), Annes (wind), Dera (ground.) Why does Nero represent water? I'm not quite sure, but there are several translation quirks throughout the game and this may just be one of them.  Point A to Point B Gameplay in Iris Online is heavily quest-based, and players are usually lead from one zone to the next in a linear path. New players start in the town of Terminus, which is in perpetual night and progress to hunting grounds that are at different times of the day. The assortment of quests should be familiar to MMORPG fans; kill quests, item gathering quests, and talk to NPC X quests. To auto-move to a location, players must bring up the map and click on a certain area. There's no quest objective to quest objective auto-navigation, which is actually a good thing since too much automation can make a game boring. Combat relies on actively using a variety of skills, as they usually have cool downs of a few seconds. Luckily, every class is equipped with an assortment of skills and mana regeneration is pretty high. Interestingly, spells and skills cost a percent of total mana, not just a set amount. This makes the MP recovery rate a very important stat for every class. The constant use of skills keeps combat exciting, and monsters in Iris Online start aggroing at an early level, which makes things more challenging. Early quests reward players with dozens of HP/MP potions, but these will run out eventually. There's no death penalty until level 10, and players are free to spawn right where they died. After level 10, death carries a small exp penalty, and resurrecting where you fell causes a debuff for several minutes.  Carnival Games Iris Online has many small features that help round it out as a full-feature MMORPG. These include an auction house, the ability to open personal shop stalls, and a title system. Titles are earned in a variety of ways, the most common being consuming tokens dropped by monsters. Titles effect the stats of a character when equipped, and can have both positive and negative effects. A title geared towards casters may increase magic damage and intelligence, but may decrease strength. Iris Online also has several PvP modes on top of the standard duel. Every so often, players are prompted on whether they want to participate in a capture the flag or team deathmatch event. If enough players within a certain level range agree, everyone who chose to participate is teleported to an instanced Colosseum field where two sides (each with up to eighteen players) duke it out. The game keeps track of PvP stats, including total kills, deaths, and also rewards points towards the player's currently chosen 'Force.' Besides large-scale PvP events, players can also group up to clear instanced dungeons scattered across the world.  You've Come a Long Way The visuals in Iris Online are very reminiscent of earlier anime-styled games, particularly Fiesta Online, Seal Online, and perhaps a bit of Rose Online thrown in. Being a newer game, it’s not much of a surprise that the graphics in Iris are better than those previous games. It’s a high quality title, and a slightly more mature alternative to Eyasoft's more chibi-oriented titles. Final Verdict: Great Iris Online may feel familiar at first glance, but it has a lot of depth and a unique theme. With three races and a large assortment of classes, Iris Online offers varied gameplay options but with a simple to understand progression system. Instanced dungeons, instanced PvP battlegrounds, and the multi-purpose card system all add up to make Iris Online a top-notch MMORPG. It doesn't breakthe mold enough to earn the top score, but it’s still a game well worth checking out. Screenshots Iris Online Screenshots                    Videos Iris Online VideosIris Online Cinematic Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Iris Online Gameplay Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Iris Online Gameplay – First Look System Requirements Iris Online RequirementsMinimum Requirements: Recommended Specification: |
| Posted: 23 May 2010 08:58 PM PDT Champions Online is a 3D, superhero-themed MMORPG. Create a unique hero using the game’s amazing character creation system and play through the game’s well-crafted story arcs. Champions Online boasts a powerful graphics engine that makes use of cel-shading and other interesting features to present a unique visual style.  Publisher: Cryptic Studios Pros: +In-depth character creation. +Unique colorful artstyle. +Fast-paced, action-oriented gameplay. +Tons of variety between characters. Cons: -Odd use of instancing & save points. -Balance issues. -Few missions to complete, lots of grind. Overview Champions Online OverviewChampions Online is a 3D superhero themed fantasy MMORPG set in Millennium City. The game used to be pay to play with a free trial, but officially went fully free to play with a cash shop and subscriber option on January 25, 2011. For gamers with a love for deep character customization and fast, smooth gameplay, the Champions Online is definitely a solid choice. There are no classes in Champions Online; players are free to choose any power from any powerset to realize whatever vision they have in mind for their characters. These powers are organized into theme frameworks, which are listed below: Might: Your standard super-strength powerset. For characters looking to imitate the biggest and the burliest heavy hitters, though your character need not appear large! Munitions: A framework containing just about every conventional firearm imaginable, from rocket launchers, to gatling guns, to shotguns, to grenades, and to a number of very cool looking "gun kata" style dual pistol attacks. Martial Arts: Choose from unarmed, claws, single blade, or dual blade within the martial arts frameworks, each with unique advantages. Sorcery: From black magic to white magic, from primal sorcery to arcane sorcery, this set contains a great deal of unique attacks and area-centric buffs. Plus, the arcane bolts just look cool! Supernatural: Whether you choose to be a chain-swinging demon with toxic breath, or a creepy creature with supernatural, shredding claws, this set is a grab-bag for every imaginable kind of weirdness. Telepathy: Powerful crowd-control, the best heals in the game, and arguably the best AoE attack in the game. Telepathy has a number of solid powers to choose from! Telekinesis: A thematic favorite, TK is a set for people who want to have psychic blades, a la Psylocke from X-men, or even a Protoss zealot from Starcraft. Some of the best melee damage in the game is in these powers! Gadgeteering: Orbital cannons, laser guns, robot minions, photon mines, shrink rays, resurrection serums… gauntlet chainsaws? Yep. It’s all here. Power Armor: You are Iron Man. Just don’t name yourself that. Make a suit of awesome powered armor and go nuts. Or make a lizard person that shoots missles out of their chest for some reason. The choice is yours! Archery: A number of surprisingly high-tech looking bow attacks, from arrows with explosives tied to them, to arrows that explode in a pretty sphere of energy. All archery attacks can be used and charged while moving! Energy Projection: From flinging flames, to ice bolts, to lightining bolts, or force bolts. It’s all in these four powersets. Set stuff on fire, encase enemies in icy prisons, place forcefields on your allies, or just annihilate whole armies with columns of electricity. Darkness: Summon clouds of fear, attack enemies with blasts of pure shadow, lick at your foes with dark tendrils, drain life, and create nether voids. This set pretty much speaks for itself. Celestial: The consummate "healer" set, many of the attacks in Celestial are pretty balls and beams of light, which can either damage enemies or heal friends. Champions Online Screenshots          Champions Online Featured Video Full Review Champions Online ReviewBy B. Olivia In October of 2009, Cryptic studios (known for being responsible for the creation of the City of Heroes/Villains franchise, also known as CoX) released a game highly anticipated among fans of CoX: Champions Online. Champions is known for a number of unique features, including an open power system, dazzling graphical capability, and arguably the best character creator of any current MMORPG. For anyone who loves tweaking builds, creating themed characters, and designing avatars to be whatever character is lurking around in your brain just waiting to be expressed, Champions is a ticket to genuine entertainment. Champions Online was originally released as a pay to play MMORPG with a free trial, but a new free-to-play option has been added on January 25th, 2011.  Tailor-Made The first thing anyone will notice about ChO is the character creator. It’s the first thing you’re prompted to do, after selecting your two initial powers and starting stats. People new to super hero MMORPGs (of which there are only really three) will probably be completely overwhelmed by the character creator in Champions. There is nothing I can really say to someone to prepare them for this, except that just like playing the game itself, getting good at making characters in ChO takes practice. Like Perfect World, which also has an incredible character creation system, there are hundreds and hundreds of parts for every imaginable aspect of your character, from choosing eye types, sizes and gradients, to arm accessories, thigh accessories, leg types, tails, ears, nose or noseless, alien or demonic, it goes on and on and on! If you can imagine it, you can make it in this character creator. My main character is a tall, willowy techno-paladin from the future! She’s so awesome. Half the fun of a game like Champions Online is being able to create a character you love and then being able to play as that character. Of course, you can’t be complete without the proper powers…  Pick a Power! Any Power! (for money) Paying players (those who subscribe monthly to become “Gold members”) have complete control over how their character progresses. In Champions Online, you can pick any power in the game for your character. The various powers are organized into frameworks (telepathy, unarmed martial arts, supernatural claws, etc.), which are then organized by tiers (you can access the various power tiers depending on your level and the number of powers in a single framework already selected), but it’s important to note that after a certain level (level 26) you are free to choose any power in the game, from any framework, regardless of tier. Do you want a martial artist dark sorcerer with a laser sword and a gun that turns people into teddy bears? Okay! Do you want a werewolf that attacks with claws and carries a gatling gun? Why not! It’s this open system, combined with the character creator, that has drawn so many people to Champions Online. When the game was pay to play with a trial, users could only play through the game’s tutorial and had a level cap of 15. Now that the game is free to play users can fully explore the game and build their superhero the way they want to. One of the game’s biggest strengths is its character growth system.  Supreme Stats! Archetypes! On top of this, as if your customization wasn’t enough already, players choose two "superstats", or characteristic focuses. At level 6 and level 13, you will be asked to choose a stat to focus on from the following list: strength, constitution, intelligence, recovery, dexterity, endurance, ego, and presence. Each stat offers unique secondary benefits, such as intelligence offering a power discount and cooldown reduction, or strength affecting your knockback strength and resistance as well as your ability to lift large objects. Whatever focus you choose, it determines how much damage you deal. So, this means that the character you’ve designed doesn’t have to be tied to a specific stat depending on your power choices; your powers are fueled by whatever stat you please. Does your gun-toting paladin aim their shots using a combination of intuition and agility? Go with DEX/EGO! Does your magician cast spells, but also have a ton of HP and super strength? Go with STR/CON. No matter what, any gear pushing up your two stats increases your damage. This, in my opinion, is super cool. Unfortunately, choosing your stats is only available to subscribers. If you’re playing the game free-to-play, then you’re going to be limited to locked in frameworks called archetypes. Archetypes can still be very effective, and you can choose how to enhance the powers you get, but the progression and stats are locked. To some people, this is actually a boon (plenty of people find the open power system overwhelming), and to others, it’s maddening.  Ground to a Halt The gameplay itself, as we’ve noted, is an epic blast. It is just plain satisfying to play this game; it’s a smooth, action-packed experience. Watching your character effortlessly gun down and knock around enemies and shoot blasts and what have you is too much fun. On top of it all, simply creating new looks and new builds is a lot of fun, and can keep many people occupied for hours. Unfortunately, there is a limit to how entertaining Champions Online can be. Even over a year after release, and with a new area, two adventure packs and some revamping, Champions Online still feels like it’s hurting for really engaging content for players to enjoy. Once you slam into the level 40 cap, you’ll find yourself wanting things to do. The game does have opportunities to get new and better gear through the adventure packs and high end instances, like Therakiel’s Lair. You can also try these challenges on varying degrees of difficulty, alone or with friends, ranging from “normal” to “elite.” If you’re a completionist, and enjoy a challenge, trying to finish Therakiel’s Lair on elite with a good team is a pretty good time, but it’s very difficult. Unfortunately, with only a handful of major end-game areas to enjoy, Champions is in a content-void position. End-game gets boring, so the usual answer is alting, or PVP. PVP – Friend… or foe? PVP in Champions Online is a mixed bag. You’re certainly not going to meet the greatest examples of sportsmanship and human decency doing PVP, but that’s true of any online arena. PVP in Champions can actually be really fun – even I was able to get into it. Unfortunately, with such an open power system (unless you’re PVPing in the archetype arena, which you will be, if you’re playing this for free) things can get imbalanced relatively easily. Players will find the most effective, brainless way to dominate, and that is what they will do. There are multiple “builds” that can work in PVP, but making them requires a great deal of creativity and dedication. The rewards for PVP are marginal and not nearly as good or easy to obtain as the PVE rewards, making PVP and dueling more of a fun change of pace, rather than a legitimate end-game focus. This may change over time.  Final Verdict: Great While some people may be irritated that they have to pay in order to be a true “Freeform” character, others will be very pleased with the addition of archetypes. Playing Champions for free is a surprisingly full experience, and your character’s progression is still fairly customizable. You can also purchase additional, fancier archetypes from the C-store, or cooler travel powers. As far as free titles go, Champions Online: Free for All is a great game. Just don’t upgrade to gold status… once you get a taste of full, freeform customization, you might never be able to go back to the archetypes. Screenshots Champions Online Screenshots                  Videos Champions Online VideosChampions Online Official Trailer System Requirements Champions Online System RequirementsMinimum Requirements: Recommended Specifications: |
| Loong: The Power of the Dragon Posted: 17 Mar 2010 06:00 PM PDT Loong: The Power of the Dragon is a 3D fantasy MMORPG set in ancient China. The game has an original art style, a classless progression system, and boasts over 1000 quests. Take part in epic PvP battles that support up to 500 players!  Publisher: Gamigo Pros: +Quest driven progression. +Varied weapon types. +PvP combat supports up to 500 players. +High quality animations. -Fluid gameplay & interface. Cons: -Familiar setting. -Mobs offer little challenge. -Poor English translations. -Quests & combat feel repetitive.
Overview Loong: The Power of the Dragon OverviewLoong: The Power of the Dragon is set in ancient China, but sets it self apart from other oriental themed MMORPGs with its unique art style and classless progression system. Chose from several weapon types, and learn skills from eight unique talent trees. Progression is heavily quest driven in Loong, and an auto-navigation feature makes traveling between objectives simple. Players unlock several skills during the first few levels, and also earn their first mount and pet early on. The game has fluid gameplay and controls that allow for keyboard and point & click movement. Weapon Types - Sword, Sabre, Polearm, Bow, Totem, Glove, Zither Talent Trees - Sword, Sabre, Polearm, Bow, Battle, Yang, Yin, Healing, Zither, Magic Loong: The Power of the Dragon Screenshots          Loong: The Power of the Dragon Featured Video Full Review Loong: The Power of the Dragon ReviewBy, Erhan Altay Loong: The Power of the Dragon is an Asian developed MMORPG set in ancient China. The German publisher Gamigo is bringing the game to both the European and North American region. Despite the familiar setting, Loong is a high quality title with an original art style, innovative class system, and other interesting features.  Not a Loong Wait Despite being released in China earlier this year, Loong is already ready for beta testing in the West. The game is a big budget project that is estimated to have cost over $10 million dollars to develop. Traditionally, MMORPGs took several years to move from Asia to the West, but the pace is definitely starting to pick up. Unlike most games out of China, Loong is a high quality MMORPG with great 3D graphics, cool attack animations, and high production value all around. At around 2.7 gb, the client size is pretty large, but the download shouldn't take long. Loong isn't Gamigo's first Chinese MMORPG. Martial Empires is an earlier high quality title, but that game is only open to European gamers. Luckily, Loong more than makes up for what we've been missing.  Pick a Weapon, but not a Class The login screen in Loong is highly stylized and sets a good mood for the rest of the game. The loading screens are a bit odd, they include animated backgrounds and real images of ladies in sexy outfits. The character creation process is very streamlined. There are five hair styles, six hair colors, five face styles, and three outfits per gender. Several 'detail' options are also available which represent things like tattoos and scars. There's also an option to preview several high level armor designs on your character before creating it. Overall, appearance customization is rather slim, especially compared to some older MMORPGs like Martial Empires or Perfect World. Like Heroes of Three Kingdoms, players don't select a class in Loong. Instead, they chose from seven weapons: Sword, Sabre, Polearm, Bow, Totem, Glove, or Zither. The initial weapon selection has no effect on character progression, players are free to switch between them freely. Eventually, players will have to select which weapons to specialize in by distributing talent points among specific skill trees.  Dragon Village New players start in Dragon Village where a number of NPCs offer simple talk quests and describe some of the game's basics. Movement can be done with either W,A,S,D or point-and-click. While most Asian MMORPGs fail at pulling off fluid keyboard controls, Loong does it excellently. I found myself using keyboard controls throughout my whole experience. There's a very simple auto-navigation system that helps players get to and from quest objectives. This means travel very simple, and also ensures players won't have to read any of the quest flavor text. The rest of the interface is well organized, 'b' opens the inventory, 'q' opens the quest log, 'k' brings up the talent trees, and so on. It's not until around level 6 that players start earning talent points, but they will receive 2 stat points every level starting at level 2. Those who follow the beginner quest lines will find themselves leveling rapidly, even without having to kill more than a few monsters. At level 5, newbies quality to leave Dragon Village and enter the zone of Dragon Castle. This zone serves as the capital city, but the surrounding areas are also the primary hunting grounds for the first few dozen levels.  One, Two, Three The early level quests do a great job giving players equipment and consumable items, but players must eventually decide which weapons to specialize in. There are a total of ten talent trees in Loong, and it is recommended to focus on one during the early levels. It is possible to reset talent point distribution quite easily, especially while under level 30. Each weapon has a primary and secondary stat, so be sure to distribute talent and stat points favorably. The six stats are: Physique, Strength, Qi, Spirit, Agility, and Skill. Simply hover the cursor over any of them to find out what they do. Before long, player will unlock several skills in their chosen talent tree and be off using them in combat. Even without skills, the monsters in Loong barely put up a fight. Difficulty seems to be something Chinese developers in particular seem to ignore. Simply spamming 2-3 skills is enough to fell any monster near your level range. You'll barely receive any damage in return. This means there's no need to rest between battles, and the fact that no mobs under level 20 seems to be aggressive add up to a low sense of challenge. Player will simply move from one hunting ground to the next, stopping long enough to kill a few defenseless critters before moving on.  Ride a Pony Loong introduces players to the game's pet system early on. Pets are called 'spirit beasts' and come in a variety of rarities and skills. Some can be ridden, others can pick up loot for their master. Players can transfer, or 'pour', some of their experience towards their pets to help them level up, and pets can even be equipped with special items. Several stats track the potency of a pet including 'potential' which measures the amount of skills the pet can eventually learn and its growth rate. A pet may look cute and small, but when mounted it grows into a full size steed. This is but one of many interesting animations. If a player clicks on the ground to move there, a splat of ink appears and vanishes. The game's animations are realistic, but with an artistic touch. Jumping (space bar) also functions a bit differently. After jumping, players appear to glide down slowly. Like so many recent MMORPGs, Loong also has a title system where players can equip titles that they've unlocked by completing quests or performing other tasks. There are a ton of other small features which, added up, make Loong a much more in-depth game. Crafting skills are separate from the talent tree, and include both resource gathering skills (like mining) and production skills.  Cramped Quarters The experience in Loong is well paced, handing it quests gives a burst of experience and there are always plenty of quests available. The quest log even lists available quests which players can auto-navigate towards. Some quests are repeatable, but the sense of grind doesn't kick in until mid level. The game encourages some player cooperation in the form of a mentor/apprentice system. Players have to be at least level 50 to be a mentor, but there's no real reason to even talk to another person during the early game since the PvE offers so little challenge. Before long, players will find themselves having to throw away items since their inventory fills up so fast. New characters start with 20 inventory slots, but can increase this by using 'auxiliary bags' obtained in the item mall. There are plenty of convenience items like this for sale in the cash shop, but nothing that dramatically effects balance. Like Soul Order Online and Forsaken World, there's an odd feature that rewards players with some freebie items every few minutes. It's called 'Dragon Blessing' and the small interface menu for it is located near the middle of the screen. Users playing Loong on a small resolution will want to turn all these extra menus off since it can cramp the gameplay area. Another box appears on the left of the screen every time a player earns new attribute or talent points. Speaking of resolutions, the graphic options in Loong can be a little confusing. I couldn't figure out how to play in windowed mode, but I did discover a new mode where the game is nearly full-screen but the taskbar is still visible and you can launch other programs with Loong remaining in the background. Final Verdict: Good Loong: The Power of the Dragon is a high quality MMORPG with a familiar oriental setting. The classless, talent tree driven progression helps set it apart from its competitors. There are also a lot of small features that, combined, give Loong a high production value. The only problem is that due to the lack of difficulty, much of the early level combat feels repetitive. Its definitely a game worth checking, just be ready for some grind. Screenshots Loong: The Power of the Dragon Screenshots                  Videos Loong: The Power of the Dragon VideosLoong: The Power of the Dragon Cinematic Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Loong: The Power of the Dragon Gameplay Footage Click here to view the embedded video. Loong: The Power of the Dragon Gameplay Trailer System Requirements Loong: The Power of the Dragon System RequirementsMinimum Requirements: Recommended Specification: |
| Posted: 15 Mar 2010 05:54 PM PDT Divine Souls is a 3D fantasy MMORPG with a steampunk theme and action oriented combat. Meat up with players in towns to form groups before venturing into instanced dungeons. Battle in PvP arenas to prove your strength!  Publisher: Outspark Pros: +Fast paced, brawler style gameplay. +Unique steampunk theme. +Many skills and builds for each class. +PvP modes. Cons: -Limited persistent world, mostly instanced dungeons. -Limited, gender locked class choices. -Expect to repeat each dungeons many times.
Overview Divine Souls OverviewDivine Souls is a 3D MMORPG developed by the Korean studio Game Prix. Divine Souls has fast paced gameplay similar to those found in arcade brawlers. Players will be able to clear instanced stages littered with monsters and a boss waiting at the end. Play cooperatively to clear stages on various difficulty settings, or take to the arena and battle it out against other players! Divine Souls offers the most fluid combat mechanics ever seen in a free to play MMORPG, and each class has a long list of combos that players can pull off. Classes: Fighter (M) - A natural born melee class. He hits, grabs, and throws his enemies with his powerful gauntlet. Slasher (F) - Slashers use various swords to deal lethal damage to their opponents. They have an elegant yet fast paced attack style. Mage (F) - Equipped with a staff, Mages deal heavy damage at close and long range. Divine Souls Screenshots          Divine Souls Featured Video Full Review Divine Souls ReviewBy, Erhan Altay Divine Soul is the latest arcade style brawler MMORPG to be published by Outspark. The game takes the genre to new heights with high quality 3D graphics, fluid gameplay, and an extensive list of combo attacks that players must pull off manually. Gamers looking for a MMORPG with a more involved combat system should look no further than Divine Souls.  Standing Out in the Crowd A wave of free to play brawler games have made their way to market recently. Dungeon Fighter Online may have been the earliest, but it was quickly followed by Dragonica Online, Fists of Fu, and several other titles. While all of these games had more action oriented gamplay than the traditional MMORPG template offered, they seemed years behind in terms of graphics and technology. Well now Divine Souls rides to the rescue. Not only does it offer fun bash-and-dash stage progression, but the interface and visual presentation are up to date. Divine Souls uses a familiar fantasy setting (though it does have some steampunk elements), but the visual style is realistic rather than anime inspired or cartoony.  Not So Many Souls Divine Souls entered beta testing in July 2010 and makes use of Outspark's new O+ launcher. The game has a wide range of supported resolutions and graphic options which is surprising considering the relatively small client size of 1 GB. There is currently one official server, broken into two parts with each serving a different coast. Each coastal server has multiple channels and can be scaled up with additional channels as needed. Character creation is a bit less impressive. There are three classes to chose from, Mage, Slasher, and Fighter. The classes are gender locked, but there are three empty class slots which means additional classes are planned in future updates. Appearance customization is pretty bare. Players chose from a small selection of face and hair styles. A full color pallet is available for skin and hair color. The character designs themselves look realistic, I was particularly impressed by the knees on the female Mage. I don't recall any other game ever attempting to make a knee look so realistic.  Take Control The game starts in a tutorial zone, but players can leave at any time by hitting escape and confirming. Divine Souls allows players to switch between two alternative control schemes by hitting F5 or F6. Keyboard shortcuts are available to navigate the interface, and even to interact with NPCs, but players can bring up the cursor by hitting the 'alt' key. The need to manually switch the cursor on and off can cause some confusion, but is necessary to maintain the third-person-shooter like gameplay in Divine Souls. There's no auto attack here, instead players click on the left mouse button to perform standard attacks. A variety of other keys are also involved in combat such as the space bar (jump), and 'E' (grab/hold.) Hitting these keys in certain sequences leads to combo attacks. Players can view a list of the combos their class can perform by hitting 'K.' The combo list is reminiscent of fighting games like Street Fighter, players who can memorize them and properly utilize them will be much more effective in both PvE and PvP. Luckily, its entirely possible to progress by spamming the standard attack.  Persistently Instanced Divine Souls makes heavy use of instancing. Cities, camps, and other locals that stock quest NPCs and merchants make up the persistent world where players meet and greet. Portals are scattered across these locations that open up regional maps and allow players to enter the dungeons, or stages, in that area. There are dozens of stages available but players will find themselves repeating them many times. Quests help speed up the grind and offer a sense of progression, but the best way to stomach the repetition is to find other players to group with. The level requirement for each stage is displayed on the map, but each stage comes in three difficulty modes. Players must clear a dungeon on easy to unlock medium, and clear it again to unlock hard mode. The persistent city plus instanced game world model was first championed by Guild Wars but stage based MMORPGs like Lunia and Divine Souls have done a great job adopting it for their own purposes. AoE is Effective The best part of Divine Souls is its gameplay. As soon as the game begins players will have a chance to try out the combat system by attacking a group of portly goblins. As mentioned earlier, attacks are performed by hitting the mouse buttons and certain keyboard keys. Players pan the camera simply by moving the mouse which gives the game a live-action feel often lacking in MMORPGs. Players won't simply be trading blows in Divine Souls. Each attack must be aimed and enemy strikes can be dodged. The developers may of gone a little overboard on the hit radius of player attacks. Hitting multiple opponents with a single attack looks cool, but being able to knock down everything in front of and to the sides of you reduce with a single attack reduces the game's difficulty considerably. Its not uncommon to go through some of the earlier stages on easy or medium without suffering more than a few glancing shots. The crazy AoE attacks definitely add to the 'arcade' feel, however. Even low level bosses require some strategy, and more evolved tactics and team work are required in the later stages. Fortunately, it doesn't take long to clear a dungeon. Stages themselves are broken down into a series of rooms connected by portals, players must defeat all enemies in a room before moving on to the next. Loot mechanics are designed to keep the action rolling, players simply hit 'R' near gold or item drops to automatically pick them up.  Combo Breaker! While new player will spend most of their time playing solo or cooperatively through the game's PvE content, Divine Souls also offers a lobby based PvP system. Cities have arena buildings which open up a lobby where players can join or create rooms. There are four PvP modes (Deathmatch, Survival, Capture the Flag, and Break Into), and each mode supports up to eight players. By default, PvP matches normalize the level differences between players. A similar system is used in games like LaTale and ensure that player skill rather than time spent grinding determine the outcome of a battle. Players can turn off this feature and experience more uneven combat if they desire. Fighting against other players is much more difficult than fighting against the not so intelligent AI. Spamming the most simple combo won't cut it. Players will have to learn multiple moves and when it is most appropriate to use each. Most player vs player bouts are team based, either 1v1, 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4. This means an element of teamwork is also required. Divine Souls keeps track of many PvP statistics such as wins, losses, rankings, and a player's 'PvP Point' which serves as their rating. How well the PvP scene will develop remains to be seen, but Divine Souls is definitely the most exciting Outspark release since Fiesta Online! Final Verdict: Great Divine Souls is a fast paced action MMORPG that has great visuals and genuinely fun gameplay. Repeating instances can get frustrating, but Divine Souls makes it easy to switch between PvE and PvP to keeps things exciting. The game is pick up and play friendly, but the combo system requires dedication to master. If you don't mind the heavy use of instancing, go try Divine Souls. Screenshots Divine Souls Screenshots                    Videos Divine Souls VideosDivine Souls Teaser Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Divine Souls Class Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Divine Souls Official Gameplay Trailer Click here to view the embedded video. Divine Souls Gameplay – First Look System Requirements Divine Souls System RequirementsMinimum Requirements: Recommended Specification: |
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