So Many New MMORPGs On The Way

There are so many awesome new free to play MMORPGs launching soon. Out of all of them though, I’m most excited about Vindictus, which is a 3D action MMORPG published by Nexon. Vindictus, for those that don’t, is actually just Mabinogi Heroes with a different name. Nexon changed the name for the North American release for some odd reason. I’m a bit surprised that a company like Nexon would publish Vindictus, as unlike Nexon’s other games, Vindictus is extremely bloody and ’sexy’. The game is supposed to play a bit like Warrior Epic, in that players must join games through a lobby and each game is a mission in the game. Vindictus is supposed to come out into open beta sometime in Q4 2010, so it’s not THAT far off.

Another MMO i’m really looking forward to is Genesis A.D, which is an awesome new sci-fi themed MMOFPS by ijji. For some reason ijji seems to have some sort of obsession with FPS games, as it seems like half the games on their portal is an FPS. Aside from Genesis A.D ijji is also launching numerous other MMOFPS games, the most popular being Karma: Operation Barbarossa and Huxley: The Dystopia. I don’t think Huxley will come out anytime soon though, as it seems to be one of those MMOs that’s never going to come out, along with Priston Tale 2. I think Genesis A.D is awesome because the game’s name was determined through a ‘name our game’ contest ijji hosted. It’s awesome that a game publisher would do that!

I’m also looking forward to play Forsaken World. It’s an upcoming 3D fantasy MMORPG by the same guys behind Perfect World, Jade Dynasty, Ether Saga Online and Battle of the Immortals. Perfect World Entertainment has been a top notch publisher ever since they launched their first game in North America. The company is based in China and their games are much more popular over there, but I think they’ve done a great job as all of their games are high quality. Heck their games are better than most korean MMORPGs out there in my opinion.

Anyway guys, with all the new upcoming MMORPGs, which one do you look forward to the most? Leave your answer below!

A Break from 3D MMORPGs

Last week I took a break from the two 3D MMORPGs I was playing, Battle of the Immortals and Runes of Magic, to play a few browser games. I don’t normally play browser MMORPGs, as they aren’t nearly as in depth as client based games, but I decided to give a few games a chance. The first game I played was Deepolis which is a submarine themed MMORPG published by BigPoint. BigPoint is easily one of the biggest players in the browser game space, as they publish Seafight, Dark Orbit, War of Titans and numerous other games. Now, all of their games are remarkably similar, but for some reason I really liked Deepolis. I guess I liked it because of its simplicity. Also, the fact that players can compete for a chance to win cash Is pretty awesome.

The second browser MMO I played was Heroes of Gaia, which is actually a fairly new game. Heroes of Gaia is published by gPotato, the same dudes behind Allods Online, Aika, Luna Online and Fly For Fun. Heroes of Gaia plays a lot like other strategy MMORPGs, but with a slight twist. Players can control their heroes and fight enemies outside of their ‘towns’. I recommend the game to anyone who likes real time strategy games. In fact, the game plays a bit like the old school Heroes of Might and Magic games.

After playing both Deepolis and Heroes of Gaia for a full week, I definitely learned to appreciate these browser games a bit more. Sure, they aren’t nearly as in depth as most client based games, but their simplicity and accessibility makes them great games. If I’m ever at a friend’s house, I could always hop onto their PC and check up on my town in Heroes of Gaia. That would be impossible in Runes of Magic, as its a 4+GB download.

Anyone else here play Deepolis? Or any other browser game? What do you guys think about them vs client games?

Chat Room MMORPGs

Just the other day I found a new MMORPG – Oz World. Now, Oz World isn’t exactly a new MMORPG, but it’s new to me, as I’ve never played it before. After downloading it and playing it for five minutes, I was quite disgusted. Apparently, the entire game is just a 3D chat room. So it’s basically a social MMORPG. Now, this wouldn’t exactly be a bad thing if the game had some decent visuals and smooth gameplay, but that isn’t the case. The graphics are quite bad, worse than Priston Tale, which came out in 2001. I probably would have played the game a bit longer than five minutes, if I had seen other people in the game, but I only saw like four or five people in the entire game, and they were afk somewhere fishing.

Now, It’s not that I don’t like social MMORPGs, but I want something a ‘bit more’ from my games, as I tend to like action MMORPGs. One example of a social game with a little something ‘extra’ is 5Street, as it’s a dancing game with a large social component to it. Neopets and Gaia Online are more examples of social games that offer more than just a social experience. Both Neopets and Gaia have minigames in them to keep things fresh. The concept of a 3D chatroom is pretty lame, if that’s all it is, as there’s nothing wrong with regular chatrooms.

Oz World was made by a company called OnGamePort, they also publish another terrible game called Deicide Online. One company, two bad games. I actually played Deicide before, and should have known any game published by the same dudes that made Deicide would be bad.

What do you guys think? Are chat room MMORPGs fun? Bad? Let me know!

Malaysian and SEA MMORPGs

While on my quest to find a new free to play MMO, I found several large Malaysian / SEA game publishers. The biggest one I found was AsiaSoft and they publish several interesting games currently not available in North America or Europe. Well, it’s not that they’re not available, it’s just that no North American publisher has these games, but gamers can still access them on the South East Asian servers. Two games that AsiaSoft publishes that aren’t available in North America are RayCity and Warriors of the Three Kingdoms. RayCity is an interesting racing MMO that plays a lot like Drift City. Warriors of the Three Kingdoms is generic 3D Fantasy MMORPG. Both of these games are fun, so it’s a shame that few people know about them outside of SEA. Luckily though, there are no IP Bans in place for any of these games.

There are actually numerous other free to play MMORPGs available outside of North America and Europe that gamers can play freely without restrictions. Another example is a little gem called Emil Chronicles Online, which is a free to play game by Gravity (The same people that make Ragnarok Online and Requiem). Since Emil Chronicles is published outside of North America, the game doesn’t advertise at all here in the States, but the game is playable from anywhere in the world. As a gamer, I want to know all my options, so it sucks not knowing about these games. Those with slow internet connections may lag while playing some of these games, but I never had any trouble. There are also a bunch of MMORPGs based in Europe which advertise in North America. So if you don’t lag in European games like S4 League and Florensia, you shouldn’t really lag in any Malaysian MMORPG.

Point and Clicks MMORPGs Are Lame

If there’s one thing that makes me irrationally angry, it’s MMORPGs that use point and click controls / gameplay. Well, not really ‘angry’, but upset at least. WSAD controls are just so much more fluid and responsive. If you look at all the best free MMORPGs, they all have WSAD controls. Games like World of Warcraft, Allods Online and Runes of Magic all have WSAD controls. I understand that some games, specifically Diablo 2 style action MMORPGs, work better with point and click controls, but there are so many point and click games out there that would be better with WSAD. Games like Tales of Pirates and Ragnarok Online would be awesome if they had a decent WSAD or DPAD movement.

There’s a very easy fix out there for developers trying to decide on a control scheme. I can understand that some people prefer point and click, so it would make sense for developers to just incorporate both control schemes into their game. A lot of games actually do this. Tales of Fantasy and Cloud Nine just being the first two I can think of. The benefit of having both systems is that everyone is pleased. After all, developers and publishers need MMORPG players to succeed.

What do you guys think? Which do you prefer point and click or WSAD controls? Pick a side and defend it!

Action MMORPGs Are The Best

Out of all the free to play MMORPGs out there, my favorite kind of game is an action oriented MMORPG. It’s not that I dislike traditional fantasy MMORPGs like Dragon Oath or Esteria Mythos, but rather I enjoy playing action MMORPGs more. I guess it’s because simply left clicking my opponent and waiting for the battle to end can get boring. I like it when a game keeps me on my toes and has be fully engaged. A few of my favorite action MMORPGs are Dragonica Online, GhostX and Dungeon Fighter Online. Dragonica online is actually one of the few MMORPGs I still play regularly. It's a side scrolling MMORPG well worth checking out.

That new Diablo 2 type game – Battle of the Immortals is also quite fun. I actually find it quite fascinating that there are so many World of Warcraft clones, but so few Diablo clones. Diablo 2, in my opinion, is easily one of the best video games ever. I’ve spent countless hours on that game and have ‘went back’ to it more times than I’d care to admit. As is though, there really aren’t too many Diablo 2 clones. The best one I can think of off the top of my head is Battle of the Immortals, so if you’re looking for something like Diablo, definitely give that game a try.

Another reason why action MMORPGs are fun is that they’re more interactive. I never get ‘bored’ or ’sleepy’, as i’m constantly pushing buttons. Action games also tend to be more skill oriented, which I find interesting. Point and click style MMOs like Secret of the Solstice are fun, but there’s no real skill involved. Just having to move around and attack manually adds a layer of skill to the game.

So, what are YOUR favorite action MMORPGs? Do you like the genre? or do you like point and click more? Post your comments below!

Asian MMORPGs Starting to Copy Western Graphics

One interesting thing that I noticed is that more and more Asian MMORPGs are copying Western art style / graphics. It really shouldn’t come as a surprise, as World of Warcraft is currently the most successful MMORPG of all time, but I found it interesting because for a long time, MMORPGs from Korea and China were anime inspired. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with anime MMORPGs, and in fact, I prefer ‘anime’ style graphics over realistic, but there are so many WoW clones out there now, it’s pretty ridiculous.

Eastern games like Neo Online, Gates of Andaron and Runes of Magic for example are examples of how Eastern game developers are copying the art style of World of Warcraft. Even Chinese MMORPGs like Perfect World and Battle of the Immortals look a bit like World of Warcraft.

I’m not a big fan of this trend as I prefer sleek anime inspired graphics over ‘Western Style’ cartoony graphics. Brightly themed free MMORPGs like Cloud Nine and Bright Shadow look gorgeous in my opinion and are much more ‘pleasing’ to look at than Realistic games or even Western style cartoony games. Even MMO Shooters like K.O.S. Secret Operations and Alliance of Valiant Arms are starting to look and play like Counter-Strike and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Anyone else see this trend? Or is it just me?

Global MMORPGs Are The Best

The most ridiculous thing for an MMORPG to do is to place IP bans in place. There is absolutely no reason for a game publisher to restrict access to their game for some users. It only aggravates players and cuts down on potential revenue for publishers. Just yesterday – gPotato banned ALL European IP addresses from accessing their newest game – Aika. I’m pretty sure Europeans can still play Fly For Fun, Upshift StrikeRacer, Luna Online and gPotato’s other games, but not Aika. The worst part of all of this, is that there were no IP Bans last month. That means, many European players have already committed hundreds of hours into their characters, only to have the game taken away from them. That’s just plain wrong.

As a gamer in North America, the IP Bans don’t really affect me, at least in the Aika example, but it sucks that so many people won’t be able to play Aika anymore because of this IP Ban. As a gamer, I want the game I’m playing to have a healthy playerbase – as MMORPGs need big communities to thrive. I’m sure most gamers will agree with me here, empty games tend to suck. Another reason I’m no fan of IP blocks is because I’d love to play a few European Fantasy MMORPGs like Priston Tale 2 and Y’s Online, but I can’t due IP Blocks. One thing I did notice is that browser games don’t tend to be IP blocked. Only client based games do – which is interesting.

So what’s the solution? Simple. Global MMORPGs. Games that have their doors open to every country. I know Netmarble – the guys behind Mini Fighter Online, Prius Online and Koongya Adventure, has all of their games available worldwide. I also believe that Nexon offers their games all over the world, meaning anyone anywhere can play MapleStory, Mabinogi, Dungeon Fighter Online and Combat Arms. I feel that not only will Nexon make more money by offering their games worldwide, they’ll also appease their players. After all, the more the merrier right?

Anime MMORPGs Look Great

I don’t know about you guys, but for some reason I really like MMORPGs with anime inspired graphics. I’m not wapanese or anything, but I find brightly themed games to be easier on the eyes. Heck, I don’t even watch anime, but I still like the visuals in anime MMORPGs. Games like Cloud Nine and Lunia look absolutely gorgeous. Sure, these games don’t look nearly as ‘impressive’ as 3D MMORPGs with realistic graphics (ie.. Atlantica Online and Karos Online), but they’re just overall more pleasant to look at. Don’t get me wrong, both Atlantica Online and Karos Online are top notch games, but I just prefer the visuals in Cloud Nine over any 3D other 3D game.

If you look at all the MMORPGs out there, the most successful ones seem to be either ‘western cartoony’ or anime inspired. Games that try to have realistic graphics (ie.. Age of Conan and EverQuest 2) aren’t doing so hot. To be fair though, there are boatloads of free to play games with anime inspired graphics that are also doing rather poorly, but my point is some of the most successful games have brightly themed cartoony graphics. A few examples off the top of my head are MapleStory, Runes of Magic, Allods Online and even World of Warcraft. MapleStory is easily one of the most successful free to play MMORPGs on the entire market. Its a very simple 2D MMORPG with side scrolling gameplay.

One reason why ‘cartoony’ games tend to do well is that they age better than realistic games. EverQuest for example looked great when it was originally released back in ~2000, but the game looks terrible today. MapleStory on the other hand, looked fine when it was released in 2003 and still looks fine even today. Since release the game’s graphics haven’t changed one bit. Heck, they don’t need to change because ‘cartoony’ graphics, especially 2D graphics don’t seem to age as fast as realistic 3D MMORPGs.

What do you guys think? Which do you prefer Anime / Cartoony graphics or realistic 3D graphics?