Anime MMORPG Graphics

Is it just me or do anime MMORPGs just look nicer than realistic 3D MMORPGs. I’ve never been a fan of anime, but I find MMORPGs that have sleek anime graphics to be visually satisfying. Games like Cloud Nine (Netgame) and S4 League (Alaplaya) for example look really awesome. The graphics aren’t at all realistic, but the art style is gorgeous. Not all anime MMORPGs look nice though. MMOs like Grand Chase from Ntreev and Fly For Fun from gPotato don’t look nearly as awesome. I guess its because the graphics in these games are a bit more jagged and low quality. No fault of the publishers of course, as both of these games are quite old now. I can safely say though I prefer Cloud Nine style anime graphics over Runes of Magic style Western cartoony graphics. I don’t think Cloud Nine is a better game than Runes of Magic, but I like the art style much better.

One interesting thing about this issue is that realistic 3D MMORPGs like Karos Online from NHN and Last Chaos from Aeria Games will age much faster. In 5 years these games will look terrible in comparison to the new 3D games, while anime inspired MMORPGs like S4 League will still look good. Obviously newer games will always look better, but my argument is that anime inspired games age better as its much harder to improve anime style graphics than realistic 3D graphics. Here’s some interesting proof. MapleStory which is a 7 year old game now still looks good visually while an older 3D game like Rappelz is beginning to show its age.

Anyone else with me on this? I find it weird that I think this way because I don’t really like anime, but I love anime graphics and characters. Unfortunately there aren’t enough good anime inspired MMORPGs out there. All the best MMORPGs are 3D and more realistic. Think Dungeons and Dragons Online and Allods Online.

Browser MMORPGs Worth Playing

There are easily thousands of browser based MMORPGs out there, but most of them are garbage. Obviously with so many games some at least a handful of have to be good. I’ve actually played hundreds of them and out of all the browser games, not counting the mega popular RuneScape, I’ve played one of the best is Dark Orbit from BigPoint. I’m not the only one that thinks this either. The game has some 30,000+ players online at any given time. I believe the only other browser MMO with this kind of playerbase is RuneScape, but I’m excluding that from this list because everyone already knows about it. I’m trying to list games that you guys may not have played and should play. Other than Dark Orbit, another really neat browser game is Pirate Galaxy. It’s actually a really new game but has incredible 3D graphics. It’s a sci-fi MMORPG as well that has some of the best graphics of any browser game ever. Seriously though, it has better graphics than Earth Eternal and Fusionfall which are other good looking browser games.

Next up on my list of browser MMORPGs worth playing are a few strategy MMORPGs. Odds are most of you have heard of or even played Evony, as they’ve been advertising EVERYWHERE. But have you guys heard of War of Legends or even The Seventh Dragon? There are so many other good browser based strategy MMORPGs out there. Games like Caesary, Tribal Wars and Travian for example are all well worth checking out if you’re into the whole strategy genre. Many of these games are actually better than Evony, because they have more variety.

Another really awesome browser game that’s worth playing is Adventure Quest Worlds from Artix Entertainment. It’s a surprisingly in depth fully fledged MMORPG on the browser. Like Dark Orbit, the game has tens of thousands of players online at any given time. I find that incredibly impressive for a browser game. Plus, the game has so much content as well as a high level cap. Adventure Quest Worlds is one of those games you can sink a hundred hours into and still have a lot left undone.

I hope you found this list at least somewhat helpful. Go try one of the games I mentioned, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. If you have any other good games worth mentioning let me know.

Eudemons Online vs Conquer Online - MMORPG Comparison

TQ Digital publishes a bunch of free to play 2D MMORPGs, but out of all their games I think Eudemons Online and Conquer Online are the best, with Zero Online a close behind. Eudemons Online focuses more on pet based gameplay while Conquer Online is more of a PvP MMORPG. Both games have only a handful of playable classes, but they’re both good MMORPGs if you can look past their graphics. People looking for really nice 3D MMORPGs with top notch graphics won’t be a fan of either game, but those who actually care about fun gameplay will likely enjoy both games.

Graphically speaking both games are extremely similar. In fact, I would say that both games run on the exact same graphics engine – in the same way Dragon Oath and Blade Wars run off the same graphics engine. So neither game really wins any points in this department. Plus, both games are 2D meaning that the developer spent more effort on gameplay than graphics.

Gameplay wise I feel that Eudemons is much faster paced. The experience rate is fast paced, so players will be able to get to the fun late game content in a relatively short period of time. In Conquer Online, it’s the opposite. Leveling up takes a while, but players have a stronger sense of progression, as each level feels more rewarding. The skill system in both games are pretty similar and the core gameplay mechanics are also very similar.

In terms of system requirements, both games can run easily on lower end machines. I believe the system requirements only a demand a Pentium 3 CPU and a low end graphics card. The benefit of a game with low end system requirements is that the game is more accessible by players. Games like MapleStory from Nexon and RuneScape from Jagexy are as successful as they are because they have low system requirements.

Both games are fun and worth checking out. I prefer Eudemons Online over Conquer Online, both games are worth the download.

MMORPG Balance Doesn't Matter

I feel that a lot of free to play MMORPGs spend too much time worrying about balance. When I play a new MMORPG I care a lot more if the game has lots of playable classes than if they’re balanced. In fact, I could care less if one class is slightly over powered or if one class is slightly under powered. I like games that offer lots of variety. Games like Ragnarok Online and Requiem from Gravity on the free to play front and games like Dark Age of Camelot and Vanguard on the pay to play front. I Feel that if MMO developers spend too much time and energy worrying about balance, they won’t be working on adding new classes and races. World of Warcraft for example is an extremely balanced game, but it has such little variety. I mean, if a game is big into PvP, then balance should be important, but a lot of people play MMOs for the PvE aspect.

Does anyone really care if about balance anyway? I know I don’t. I mean, I do to an extent, but so long as one class isn’t absurdly over powered, balance is not in my top 5 concerns about a game. Just look at the Super Smash Brothers franchise – it has so many characters. Characters like Bowser and Jigglypuff are outright useless. In fact, within the community players have broken down characters into tier 1, 2 and 3. There are usually a few tier 1 characters which the ‘pros’ use and a few tier 2 characters which are also good, but 90% of characters in Super Smash are garbage, thus they’re thrown into tier 3. I think it’s almost universally accepted that Super Smash Brothers is a fun game, which is why I used it as an example. Balance does not equal fun.

Developers should focus on character customization (Think Perfect World), content and features. These are much more important than balance. Sure PvP MMORPGs like Aika Online and Kingdom Heroes would require a bit more attention in the balance department, but I think MMO companies are wasting their efforts worrying about balance when they could actually be improving their games.

I Can’t be the only one who feels this way, but sometimes I do feel this way, as every time I’ve discussed this issue across various forums, people tend to disagree. I’ve noticed though that people who play pay to play MMORPGs seem to care more than those who play free to play games. People who player browser games also preferred variety over balance. Any thoughts? Leave them in the comments below

Bad Team Mates in MMOs

Don’t you hate it when your team in an MMO just sucks? The other day I was playing League of Legends and I had 15 kills and 1 death, but I still lost because my team was terrible. This is especially frustrating in games like League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth and DoTA as each game can take upwards of an hour and a bad team can really ruin a game. These kinds of MMOs are very team oriented as well, so if you end up with one terrible player, the entire game is ruined.

The whole ‘bad team mate’ problem exists in a lot of MMOFPS games as well. In games like Alliance of Valiant Arms and WolfTeam, it can be very frustrating to lose a team deathmatch due to ‘noob’ teammates. I don’t even want to begin counting all of the games I lost due to terrible team mates in Alliance of Valiant Arms. My kill/death ratio is almost always 3-1 in these games, and I always end up with terrible team mates. Luckily, the terrible team mate problem isn’t a big deal in MMOFPS games, as each round only takes 10-15 minutes, so there’s no real time invested into each game.

Having bad team mates also sucks in sports MMOs like Freestyle Street Basketball and Smash Online. In these kinds, you NEED to work well with your team in order to win. So no matter how ‘leet’ you are, if your team sucks, it’s over. No one player can, regardless of his or her skill, can truly ‘carry’ the team to victory. This isn’t a big deal if the other team has a bad player as well, but that isn’t always the case.

Having ‘bad team mates’ is the worst when raiding in MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Runes of Magic. One bad player can easily get an entire raid of 20 people killed. And dying while raiding is incredibly frustrating, especially after investing 2+ hours into a single run. Sure, you could always regroup and ‘try again’, but getting wiped can really lower morale, which can in turn lead to more wipes. The thing about raiding is, when you have so many people working together, the odds of one person screwing up increases.

The only way to avoid dealing with incompetent players is to play alone. But playing an MMORPG entirely alone is kind of lame, especially since these games are meant to be played cooperatively. You could also play these games ONLY with friends, but I don’t think I have friends online ALL the time, so I have to play with random MMORPG players sometimes, even if they do suck.

Grand Chase Needs More Variety

Grand Chase isn’t a bad MMO. It just needs a bit more variety. The game is currently being published by Ntreev, and is basically a cooperative dungeon crawler. Players work together with each other to complete stages and beat bosses. It actually plays more like a cooperative Mario game with RPG elements than anything else. The only thing Grand Chase is really lacking, in my opinion, is variety. As is there are a fixed amount of stages in the game. Once you clear them all, there’s little left to do. It’s almost like playing Lunia after beating all of the episodes. The most obvious remedy to this is for Ntreev to release more content, but that can take a while. I feel that next time Ntreev adds more content and levels to the game, they should make it much more difficult. Players shouldn’t be able to finish all of the late game stages with such ease. Players should need groups of top tier players and excellent cooperation to beat levels. This is an easy way to extend the game.

Another way for Ntreev to add more variety to the game would be by adding additional characters. As is the game has a good selection of classes, as they offer 8 playable characters, but more would always be better. Realistically speaking though, Ntreev could add more job advancements to the game. As is characters progress in an extremely linear way. Players should have more control over their character’s growth through more variety in terms of total skills and job advancement choices. Job advancements should branch out into 3 possibilities at each advancement, maybe try something like Ragnarok Online, rather than the current system where players advance in an incredibly linear way.

I’m not trying to say that Grand Chase is a bad game, because it’s not. Ntreev makes some of the better free to play MMOs out there in my opinion, as both Pangya and Trickster Online are great titles. I’m just suggesting that the game would benefit from more variety. Games like Lost Saga and League of Legends are amazing because they have so many different characters, so more variety is almost always better.

MMORPGs I Keep Going Back To

There are a select few MMORPGs which I seem to always ‘go back’ to. Games that whenever I’m really bored I re-download, install and play. Just yesterday I downloaded Gates of Andaron again. There’s really nothing too special about Gates of Andaron, as like Runes of Magic and Allods Online, it’s a WoW clone. But for some reason I always go back to it. I really can’t explain why, I guess I just like the gameplay. I do have some major complaints with with the publisher though – most notably the lack of policing in game. There are so many spammers in the game constantly filling up the chat channels with advertisements.

Gates of Andaron aside though, there are a bunch of MMOs which for some reason I always go back to. Another one of those games for me is GunZ, by ijji. This one isn’t exactly an MMORPG, as it’s an MMO Shooter, but it’s definitely one of the best in the genre. I love the fast paced gameplay and unique set of weapons in the game. How many other MMOFPS games are there with anime-like gameplay where you can run on wall and deflect bullets with your sword? Not too many. I also like that the game has low system requirements, so I can play it on any of my computers, even my laptop. Though I recommend staying away from all MMO shooters on a laptop, as you NEED a mouse and keyboard to do well in these games.

Another free to play game that I go back to regularly is FreeStyle Street Basketball. This one is probably the most surprising, as I don’t even like sports games, so I find it interesting that I love this sports MMO so much. I guess it’s the simplistic and fun gameplay. I mean, I find other sports MMOs like Fantasy Tennis, Football Superstars and Smash Online to be really boring. I really don’t know though. I do know that the game is well worth checking out and if you haven’t played it, go on GameKiss and download it right now. You won’t regret it.

Are there any free MMORPGs that you guys go back to? If so, leave them in the comments below! =]. Aside from the games I mentioned, I also go back to Diablo 2 every now and then.

MMORPGs Should be More Compatible

Anyone else wonder why so few MMORPGs are compatible with Linux and Mac? I’m not a developer, so I don’t understand the development bits, but how much more expensive could it be to make a game compatible with these other popular operating systems? As of now there are only a handful of mac MMORPGs out there and even fewer Linux MMORPGs. After windows these two are the next biggest, so you would imagine that game developers would ensure their games be compatible with them. I mean, a game that runs on more systems would reach a larger audience, thus make more profit through their cash shops (for free to play games) and subscriptions (for pay to play).

There are a handful of games that run well on all the major operating systems (Windows, Mac and Linux). One of them is Savage 2 from S2 Games. The unique MMORTS game that plays a bit like Fantasy Earth Zero, but without a persistent world. Then we have Runescape from Jagex. It’s not surprising that Runescape runs fine on Linux and Mac, as it launches through the web browser and uses Java.

Another compatibility issue many games have is that they have high system requirements. If I was a game developer, I’d make sure my game ran smoothly on 99% of PCs, that way my target audience is larger. If you look at all the MMOs out there, the most successful and most popular free MMORPGs are the most playable – the ones with low system requirements. MapleStory, Ragnarok Online and Gaia Online for example all have low system requirements. On the pay to play front games like Age of Conan and Vanguard which each require super computers to run have extremely low playerbases, while World of Warcraft which runs fine on mediocre machines is doing well. There’s definitely a direct correlation between system requirements and playerbase. Developers need to stop making gmes only 10% of the population can even run. It doesn’t make sense.

I know this is a bit of a rant, but I dunno. I think MMOs and games in general should run smoothly and easily on everyone’s PC. Developers need to find a nice all in one solution. This isn’t a problem for consoles, as everything is standardized, but console MMORPGs would never work.

Under the Radar New MMORPGs

I’ve learned of a few interesting under the radar new MMORPGs over the last few days. One neat game I learned about is RayCity, and it’s pretty new. The game was developed by Electronic Art’s Korean Studio and is published in Malaysia. Luckily, there aren’t any IP Blocks, so players in Europe and North America can play it freely. RayCity is a racing MMO that plays remarkably like Drift City which ijji publishes. The game has a persistent world where players can complete various missions as well as a designated racing area (just like Drift City). Unlike Drift City though, which has cartoony graphics, RayCity has gorgeous 3D graphics. I love how EA is really going all out with the whole free to play scene, as they make some of the best free MMORPGs ever. EA also made Battlefield Heroes, Battleforge and Lord of Ultima.

Aside from RayCity, another under the radar new MMORPG that I found is Empire of Sports. I think this game’s been available for a while, but it’s new to me. It’s one of the only sports MMOs and is incredibly high quality. The game offers a boat load of sports within it from basketball to sledding. The game combines Fantasy Tennis, FreeStyle: Street Basketball, Football Superstars, Dance Online and numerous other sports into one game. The graphics are absolutely gorgeous too. The one complaint I have with it is the extremely small playerbase. I really don’t know why no one plays Empire of Sports, as the game offers so much.

Lastly, another cool new MMO I discovered is Mytheon, which is a Diablo 2 style action MMORPG, except with a unique card system. The game is by True Games, the same people who made Warrior Epic. You can actually use your Warrior Epic login to access the game, which is what I did. This game is incredibly addictive, as it has the fun Diablo 2 style gameplay with newer graphics and more variety. Unfortunately, TrueGames is having issues with their developer, which is delaying the addition of new features. When they can get over this legal issue, the game should explode in popularity.

If anyone else knows any new awesome games I didn’t mention, let me know ^_^.

There are a LOT of Old MMORPGs Out There

I’ve always known MMORPGs were big business, but I didn’t know so many older MMORPGs were still in service today. I figured the MMO business was a lot like technology. As games gold older, they were shut down and replaced by newer games. This is definitely true for console games, but some older MMORPGs still exist today. I guess it’s because a lot of these games can introduce new patches and expansion packs.

Anyway, the first game I wanted to mention was Ultima Online. The game originally released in 1997 and is still around today. The game has enjoyed countless updates and is still updated regularly. The game was developed by Origins Systems back in 1999 but was bought out by Electronic Arts later. Ultima Online is widedly considered the first popular MMOPRG ever. The game isn’t free to play though, so that sucks. It is an MMORPG free trial game though, so users can play it for 14 days without paying. Back when the game first released, it was the most hardcore PvP MMORPG ever. EverQuest is an older game too, but it was released in 2001. It was the first real fully 3D mmorpg.

After Ultima Online, Tibia, the 2D MMORPG, is still around. Tibia was also released in 1997 but has much simpler 2D graphics. Unlike Ultima, Tibia is free to play, making it one of the longest running free MMORPGs ever. Much of the game’s content though is only available to paying members.

On the more free to play front though, RuneScape and Ragnarok Online are some of the oldest MMORPGs still in service. Both boast over 50 million players world-wide. 50 Million is a huge number, considering World of Warcraft has only 12 million subscribers. That’s not a 100% fair comparison though, as both of these games are free to play and WoW is pay to play. Plus the 50 million number is registered accounts, not active users.

Most Underutilized MMO Genre

So what is the least popular MMORPG genre? I’m not talking about type of game, but rather a game’s setting. Obviously the most popular setting is a fantasy themed one, as there are countless free to play and pay to play fantasy MMORPGs. The most popular one is obvious, but what about all the unpopular ones?

There are only a handful of sci-fi MMORPGs out there and even less steampunk MMORPGs. There are even fewer MMOs set during modern times. Well, there are a boat load of MMOFPS games like War Rock and Operation 7, but I don’t count those, as they’re all the same. I don’t think there are ANY actual MMORPGs set during modern times. Everything is fantasy themed. There are a fair amount of Sci-fi themed MMORPGs from RF Online to the more popule Eve Online. Plus there are a bunch of obscure ones like Face of Mankind and Galaxy Online. On the other hand, there are VERY few steampunk themed MMORPGs. The only two I can actually think of is Neo Steam and Allods Online. Both are pseudo steampunk as well, as they play largely like fantasy themed games.

Sword of the New World by GamersFirst has a unique theme. The game is set during the baroque era, so the game’s architecture and art style is really interesting. Just looking at character models and clothing is fun too, as its genuinely different than other games. Obviously a game’s setting isn’t THAT important, but it’s worth mentioning that 99% of games are fantasy themed. I guess Korean and Chinese MMORPG developers prefer to develop fantasy themed games. I Can understand Chinese developers, as many of their games are based on the romance of the three kingdoms novel, but Koreans should be doing more hyper awesome futuristic stuff.

Just my thoughts though. Any other underutilized genre out there that I didn’t mention? If so, let me know in the comments.

Turn Based MMORPGs Are Big Business

I never knew how many turn based MMORPGs there were out there until today. I’ve always known turn based RPGs like like Final Fantasy and Tales were big, but apparently there are numerous free to play turn based games as well. There are over 10 of these games. The most popular is probably 2D MMORPG is Wonderland Online, which is by IGG. Wonderland Online is popular because it’s remarkably simple. The 2D graphics and straight forward gameplay ensure that anyone can pick up the game and learn it within a few minutes. The most popular 3D turn based MMORPG is Atlantica Online, which is developed by Ndoors. I actually like Atlantica Online the best, as I prefer good 3D graphics over 2D.

What’s surprising to me though is the sheer quantity of turn based MMORPGs. The two above are the most popular, but there are so many more. Fairyland Online is probably one of the oldest. It was released in 2005. Then there’s Myth War 2 Online, which replaced Myth War 1 a few years ago. Next up is Zodiac Online – a fairly new game by EnjoyMMO. Then there’s the turn based fantasy MMORPG with card elements called Wizard101. It’s a real high quality game, but most of the game costs money. Poxnora is turn based as well, but it plays like a table top game (like Warhammer / MageKnight). Nanovor and Digimon Battle are two new turn based games as well with Altis Gates coming out in the near future.

What’s interesting is that so many of these turn based MMORPGs are 2D. In fact, the only 3D one is Atlantica Online. I guess 2D is easier to develop when it comes to turn based MMOs. Unfortunately though, even though there are so many of these games, I feel that only a handful of them are actually popular. Aside from Atlantica Online and Wonderland Online, the rest of these games are almost empty.

MMORPGs I've Never Heard Of

After cruising around the net for some new MMORPGs to play, I found many many games that I never heard of. MMORPGs that I didn’t know even existed. One such game is Carom3D, a billiards MMO. Apparently it’s like Cue Online, except much popular. I follow the gaming scene quite a bit, and I’m surprised I’m quite surprised that I never knew about Carom3D up until now. I’m surprised because Carom3D is featured in the World Cyber Games, meaning it is played competitively world wide. Awesome, right? I gave the game a download the other day, and it’s quite fun. Billiards sounds like a boring sport, but Carom3D is easily one of the better sports MMOs I’ve ever played.

Another game that I never knew about until yesterday was Hero Online, which is a fantasy MMORPG by NetGame. NetGame also publishes Cloud Nine, Scions of Fate, and Operation 7. Hero Online is a fairly generic game, but I still find it fascinating that there are so many MMORPGs out there that I never even heard about. Forget about the mega popular games, there are so many underground less known MMOs that are worth checking out. Savage 2 for example is a game that’s not too popular, but the gameplay is incredible. It’s a game i’ve been addicted to for the last 24 hours. In fact, I actually ended up buying the game in order to support the developers over at S2 Games. Purchasing the game doesn’t really grant me any bonuses, but I wanted to support the developers.

There are just so many MMORPGs out there. I don’t think it’s possible to play them all. Another interesting game I learned about recently is Mu Online, which is published by Webzen – the same people behind Archlord and Soul of the Ultimate Nation. Mu Online isn’t exactly anything special, but it’s a game I found entertaining for a short while. I guess the reason I wasn’t too fond of it was that it plays a lot like the original Diablo game. That’s not a bad thing, but the original Diablo game is well over 10 years old now. I’m looking for something a bit newer.

Anyway guys, I bet there are more MMORPGs out there that I haven’t heard of. If you know of any hidden gems MMORPGs, let me know!

Browser MMORPGs Will Rock in 2011

2009 and 2010 have been great years for browser MMORPG Games. With the incredible growth of free to play gaming, browser games like RuneScape, Earth Eternal, Dark Orbit and Heroes of Gaia have enjoyed incredible growth. These games are all incredibly high quality and offer a gaming experience comparable to traditional downloadable MMORPGs. Earth Eternal for example has graphics that are easily better than most free to play MMOs. For example, the graphics in Earth Eternal are easily better than the visuals in older 3D MMORPGs like Talisman Online and 2Moons. It may not be much, but those visuals on a browser is ridiculously impressive. It opens the door for HUGE possibilities in 2011 and beyond. Who knows, maybe we’ll be playing Eve Online on the browser sometime in the future.

Another aspect of the browser MMO industry that’s really been taking off is strategy MMORPGs. Ever since Tribal Wars and Travian pioneered the genre years ago, the genre has REALLY exploded in popularity. I was surprised to hear that even Electronic Arts made their own free browser strategy MMORPG – Lord of Ultima. A big Western game developer launching a free browser MMO is news to me. This means that more and more western developers will likely enter the arena, raising the bar in terms of quality. I say this because Lord of Ultima is an awesome browser based strategy MMORPG. Maybe even the best. The visuals are top notch and the interface is good too. I’m not too surprised though, as EA’s studio that’s in charge of the free to play department made Battlefield Heroes and Battleforge – and both of those games are amazing.

If it sounds like I’m a bit too optimistic about browser games in 2011 and beyond, it’s because I am. I’ve been a gamer since my father first bought me Super Mario World 2 for the Super Nintendo, and this free to play MMO revolution is intense. So many awesome high quality games coming out, and the entire free to pay space is still niche. What do you guys think? Am I too optimistic ?

Away From MMORPGs For a Bit - S4 League 4tw

Yesterday I re-downloaded S4 League again, one of my favorite third person shooter MMOs. In fact, it’s one of the only third person shooters aside from Battlefield Heroes. I used to play the game regularly about a year or so ago, but I sort of got bored of it. After playing a boat load of generic tactical MMOFPS games, I wanted to give the game another try, and I’m glad I did. S4 League is crazy fun and it’s just as fun as I remembered it to be. Since I last played a year ago, Alaplaya did a lot with the game. The most notable change is the elimination of lag. Multiplayer matches have practically zero lag now. Plus, there are a boat load of additional maps. Another neat thing is that unlike games like Soldier Front and Sudden Attack, weapons don’t disappear over time, so even though I didn’t play in a year, all of my weapons were saved, which rocks.

I’ve spent much of last week studying for finals and getting school stuff finished. I still have a few more finals to get through, so I can’t really commit to an MMORPG, though I do want to try the new game by IGG – Tales of Fantasy. For those that haven’t heard of it, it’s a 3D MMORPG with largely realistic graphics. So until my finals are done, I’ll probably stick with S4 League is a bit longer. S4 League is fun because I can play it in short bursts without ever spending too much time at once on it. Kind of like Heroes of Gaia and other browser MMORPGs.

I’ve always been a big fan of GunZ too, as I’ve played that game on and off. I played it even before ijji began publishing it 3+ years ago, back when the developer published it worldwide. I do like that ijji is publishing it now, as there are so many less hackers. I think anyone that likes GunZ will also love S4 League, as they’re very similar games. S4 League is just newer so it looks nicer. If anyone plays S4, leave your IGN below and maybe we can play sometime?

One MMORPG Server

Every MMORPG should combine all of their servers into one big server. This would instantly make every free to play game better as the one combined server would have more players. More players means more interaction. I’m tired of running around dead MMORPGs with only a handful of people ever online in each server. Games with low playerbases like Asda Story, Cabal Online and Cloud Nine would all benefit from this. Even games with higher playerbases would benefit as more players on a single server would enhance the overall experience of any game. There would obviously be some hardware concerns, as having all those players on one server would be difficult. The obvious solution would be to divide players into different channels. The only games that do this are MapleStory and WonderKing.

Just think of all the possibilities if every MMO did this. ALL players could interact with each other. Each game could have an auction house that included buyers and sellers from every channel. Finding people to group with would be easier. PvP would be more intense. Overall, MMOs would feel more MASSIVE, which is what they’re supposed to be. Just think about it. How much more fun would Battle of the Immortals, World of Kung Fu or even Secret of the Solstice be if they only had one server? Players would be divided into numerous channels to avoid lag. Overall, MMORPG players would be able to interact more as everyone would be on the same one server.

As an MMORPG gamer I absolutely hate seeing an empty game. No matter how great a game is, no matter how great the graphics are or gameplay, it means nothing if an MMORPG has no playerbase. The most popular MMORPGs remain popular because they already have a large playerbase. Large playerbases just make games more fun.

Anyone here agree with me? Post your thoughts below!