New Wave of MMORTS Games

The term MMORTS used to refer to cheesy empire building Evony like games. I say cheesy, because at the moment there are easily 100+ browser based empire building MMOs like Travian, Caesary,Tribal Wars, War of Legends and hundreds more. These games, for some reason, are absurdly popular. All of these games are browser-based as well. This is all about to change though.

GamesCampus – the company behind MLB Dugout Heroes, Asda Story, Shot Online, Legend of Edda and numerous other games, launched a revolutionary new MMORTS called Soul Master. I say revolutionary because it’s actually client based, and get this – fun. It mixes action MMORPG elements with pikmin like strategy. The combat is fluid and well paced. The levels themselves feel a bit similar to Dragonica Online and Divine Souls – as players can run through each level multiple times under different difficulties. For some odd reason, this particular system of progression has become really popular. Fists of Fu from Outspark and even Vindictus from Nexon employ similar progression systems. I think Lunia from ijji was the first game to have stage based linear gameplay. Each stage is instanced. Luckily, the main town area acts as a social hub where players can grab quests, buy items and interact with others.

Soul Master is definitely going to shake things up as it’s actually an original game. It feels a bit like Divine Souls, but with a twist. It’s not just a straight up action MMORPG. Players have to utilize clever strategy if they expect to complete a level. Luckily, if a stage proves too difficult, players can party up with others to complete it. All of this should be very familiar to those who have played Dragonica Online or even GhostX from GameKiss to a degree – as in its core Soul Master is very similar to these action MMORPGs. It only really differences itself by mixing RTS components with its gameplay, which actually work really well and are quite fun.

Have you played Soul Master yet? If not, definitely give it a chance! It’s a fun game.

Soul Master is an Interesting MMORPG

Yeah, I’m dedicating this entire post to an MMORPG called Soul Master from GamesCampus. Why you ask? Simple. It’s one of the most creative / original free to play MMORPGs I’ve ever played. It’s in closed beta as I write this, but I’m very impressed by it. It’s a unique mix between an Action MMORPG, a strategy MMORPG and Pikmin. It may sound a bit weird, but it all works together really nicely. Progression is a bit linear, much like Lunia from ijji and Fists of Fu from Outspark, The progression is actually EXACTLY like Fists of Fu / Dragonica Online, as players need to complete a stage before being able to advance to another one. Come to think of it, it’s just like Dungeon Fighter Online as well. Each level can be played in numerous different difficulty settings. The toughest a level, the more rewarding it is.

I also like the graphics in Soul Master too. They’re anime inspired and bright. I don’t know why, but I have a thing for brightly themed games. I guess it’s why I enjoyed Bright Shadow from GamePot USA and Cloud Nine from Netgame. I also tend to like anime MMORPGs for some reason. It’s weird, because I don’t even watch anime in real life. The fast paced gameplay in Soul Master is actually a lot of fun too. They actually a lot like GhostX from GameKiss, as players can rack up combos with each attack. Come to think of it, I’ve grown very fond of action games lately. I guess the slow paced combat systems in other MMORPGs bores me after playing so many action MMORPGs lately.

Even though Soul Master is in closed beta, I recommend MMORPG Players give the game a try. Even though it’s yet another 3D MMORPG set in a fantasy setting, it’s quite original. You actually have to micro-manage your individual units as well as your character to do well. It’s the only game that mixes action MMORPG elements with strategy. The PvP is really neat too, because it takes an enormous amount of skill. PvP MMORPGs like Aika Online are fun too, but they don’t take a lot of skill. It usually comes down to whoever has the best gear wins, but in Soul Master that isn’t always the case. Sure, better gear helps, but whoever micro-manages better ends up winning. If you already have an Asda Story account, you can use that to log in to Soul Master, as it’s by the same publisher. Anyway, props to the developers behind the game for making something unique.

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 ^_^.

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!

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!