Full Review

Jade Dynasty Review

By, Erhan Altay

Jade Dynasty is the third MMORPG to be published by Chinese publisher Perfect World International. Best known for their first and still most impressive title, Perfect World. PWI is rapidly ramping up their North American presence, first with the release of Ether Saga Online and now with Jade Dynasty. What sets Jade Dynasty apart from Ether Saga is a return the a more realistic graphic style. But even with the more realistic visuals, Jade Dynasty is still much more similar to Ether Saga Online than it is Perfect World.

Lacking in Style

Perfect World was one of the most polished free-to-play MMORPGs ever to be released. It especially shines in the field of character customization, with an elaborate character creation process. With the release of Ether Saga Online, many fans expected a similar experience, and felt let down by the limited number of choices. Unfortunately, Jade Dynasty is a similar let down in this area. The only options players have during character creation is a choice between genders and seven face and hair styles. All players start out as the initiate class, and must wait until level 15 to chose between five factions to join. Each faction acts as a class and includes the standard spectrum of archetypes including warrior (Vim), healer (Skysong), rogue (Lupin), warlock (Modo) and archer (Jadeon.)

Starting Out

New players start their adventure in Sunstream City where helpful NPCs are scattered around with small, green icons hovering above them. While there is no formal tutorial, talking to nearby NPCs offers players quests that introduce them to the game. One of the first quests asks players to walk around town and have a chat with the Blacksmith, Tailor and Merchant. After completing this and several other run-around quests, players will have several pieces of gear including a new weapon. Oddly, players can also accept a full set of armor despite its level requirement being 45. Backpack space in Jade Dynasty is rather limited (though it can be expanded) so I would recommend not accepting this armor just yet. The game’s controls are generally smooth. Movement can be done with either the mouse or keyboard and both methods work well. The interface is similar to that of most MMORPGs. The quest log is well organized, and quest descriptions have certain bolded words that can be clicked on to activate auto-walk.

Skills Trump Swings

The beginner initiate class isn’t too exciting. There are a total of four skills available in the initiate skill tree: a buff, a passive resistance boost, a self heal, and most importantly, an offensive move called Heavy Blow. Now, obviously activated skills are supposed to inflict greater damage than standard hits, but the difference between damage dealt is taken to an obscene level in Jade Dynasty. Even at level one, a regular strike does 8-9 damage, which is capable of killing weak monsters in several seconds. Heavy Blow at level one deals over 210 damage and easily one-shots anything within the players level range. Add to this the fact that similar monsters are clumped together and you get some silly looking gameplay; just watch the combat video in the videos section to see what I mean. The experience rate is moderately paced, but the repetitive gameplay makes the grinding process seem longer than it is. The only way to tell the level of monsters you’re facing is by the color of their name. Monsters that are higher level than you are have their names displayed in red, while weaker ones are displayed in blue, green, or gray. New players are encouraged to skip the creatures located just outside town and head deeper into the wilderness to find stronger monsters to one-shot. There are many kill quests available, but completing the first few are simply not worth the effort. Choosing a faction at level 15 requires the completion of certain quests, so keep your eyes open and be sure to accept any quests that come your way.

Tiers and Peers

Jade Dynasty entered open beta in late June 2009, and so far there is one server for each of three regions – US East, US West, and Europe. Each server has a multitude of channels, some of which are labeled PVE and others PVP. The population on all channels are relatively low; I saw several people in major towns but most of the time I felt like I was alone in a large world. I’m not sure if the population will ever fill up, but in the mean time, the game will continue to suffer some of the same problems as Ether Saga Online – mainly the endless fields of similar creatures bunched together. Things do get more exciting after level 15, though, when players make their faction choice and gain access to a whole new skill tree, one with many more options available. Players can actually see the skill tree of all the factions right from the start. Each faction actually has a total of five skill trees, each representing a different tier.

Features Galore

Jade Dynasty has most of the standard features that gamers have come to expect of fresh new MMORPGs, such as pets and mounts (including flying mounts), but it also has some more interesting features to boast about. There is a marriage system where players of the opposite sex can tie the knot and earn special romance skills. Players can also form Alliances (guilds) and team up or declare war with one another. Alliances that are at war can engage in “Fort Battles”, with the winning side earning special skills and items. Like in Perfect World, there are some strange travel methods (like flying swords), but the most exciting feature for me was open PvP which was available on certain channels. PKing does come with consequences, so things aren’t out of control, but the knowledge that you could be attacked keeps you more focused on the game. Jade Dynasty has quite a high level cap (currently set at 150) but the game world is relatively small; there are just ten zones, but the one you start in is the smallest, and the world map shows plenty of unexplored land which may be added in patches to come. The game’s website and advertising describe Jade Dynasty as a martial arts MMORPG, but besides the oriental setting, it didn’t have the same emphasis on martial arts as Nine Dragons or Twelve Sky 2. That isn’t to say that this is a bad game, it’s actually much better than many similar Asian themed titles, such as Martial Heroes and Hero Online, but has a hard time filling the boots of its own predecessor.

Final Verdict: Good

Jade Dynasty has some impressive visuals but the gameplay is too simple, and has been done before far too many times. The limited number of classes and customization options make JD a difficult game to get into. Those looking for a more graphically realistic oriental game should give Jade Dynasty a try, but for the rest of us, there are plenty of better games around.

Screenshots

Jade Dynasty Screenshots

Videos

Jade Dynasty Videos

Jade Dynasty Cinematic Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jade Dynasty Character Creation

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jade Dynasty Combat Footage

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jade Dynasty Town Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jade Dynasty Gameplay Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Jade Dynasty Links

Jade Dynasty Official Site

System Requirements

Jade Dynasty System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Windows Vista
CPU: Pentium 1.5Ghz
RAM: 1 GB
HDD: 4.0 GB
Graphics Card: 128mb

Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Windows Vista
CPU: Pentium 4 2.0 GHz
RAM: 2 GB
HDD: 4.0 GB
Graphics Card: 128mb or more

Full Review

Fiesta Online Review

By Cody ‘Neramaar’ Hargreaves

It’s funny really, because most of us have been playing MMORPGs for so long now, that we forgot what it was like when we had only first begun.  We were faced with world that was as vast as it was dangerous; we had no friends, no enemies, and for the most part, had no idea what we were doing.  Now, with several years of experience under our belt, we start playing a new MMO with a certain confidence that we never had back in the beginning.

A Strange New World
Of course, developers know this too, and as such have changed the way they design their games.  Much of what used to be considered a tutorial is now considered as a waste of time for the vast majority of us, as we already know many of the key elements found in almost every game.  But what about those of us who have only just begun to play?  Unlike when we first began playing, they are now usually thrown into an advanced MMO world filled with players that know exactly what they need to do right from the beginning.  This is where games like Fiesta come into play, as they pick-up right where we left off all those years ago – at the beginning.

PG-13
For those of us with experience, it doesn’t require much time playing Fiesta to realize that it has been designed with a newer and younger audience in mind.  Many of the game’s key features and elements have been down-graded significantly with the purpose of not overwhelming those new to the scene.  With that said, MMO veterans will find little enjoyment here, as there is ultimately little to do.  However, those new to the scene will no doubt see this concept in a different light, one that will help them on their long  journey into the abyss that is the MMO.

Simple for a Reason
This simpler style of play is present even at the very beginning with the character creation.  Human is the only available race, and there are only four class types – Fighter, Archer, Cleric and Mage – a male and female version of each.  The facial customizations were quite bizarre, as although there is an option to change your face, there was only one different type for each.  There are three available hairstyles, and three colors – all a different shade of purple/blue.  While the limited class archetypes are more than understandable with the target audience in mind, the limited customization really isn’t.  Even those only new to the scene some form of character customization and Fiesta unfortunately offers very little.

Cel-Shaded Stylin’
Fiesta is set in the world of Isya, and is governed by the goddess of hope, Teva.  As with most games of the MMORPG variety, the storyline bears little to no effect on the gameplay, and warrants little discussion. Beginning the game players are initially greeted with the visually appealing, and seldom used graphical style cel-shading. While many have openly shown their disapproval of the style on numerous occasions, I have always been quite the fan, and find that in the case of Fiesta, the bright colors and cartoon art direction really helps to bring the world alive.

Another benefit to the cel-shaded style is how well it tends to perform on both new and older computers. Players will find that the overall fluidity of the game is greatly enhanced by this, as spells and abilities flow naturally from one to the next, and movement and combat can be handled with ease.

Entry-level Excellence
Due to the teens-themed nature of Fiesta the gameplay is fairly simple, and rarely innovative. The beautiful graphical style adds much to the overall charm, but veterans to the genre will quickly find the limited quests, repetitive grind, and limited class options tiresome.  However the ability to move via mouse-click or WASD offers players choice, the easy-to-follow starting quests give players great direction in the beginning levels of the game, and the relatively simple skills and combat tactics allow more time to think and respond than that given in many other MMO titles – all elements that make the initial leap into the MMO world that much easier to bear.

Fear the Grind
Upon reaching level 10, however, the grind really begins to make itself more noticeable, so much so that upon reaching level 20 the entire server is informed of the achievement.  Getting to level 10 is much less of a challenge, and depending on your choice of class, can be completed in a matter of hours.  Mages seem to be the favorite when it comes to grinding through the lower levels, as their powerful spells can usually incinerate an enemy before it gets too close.  Archer’s struggle slightly more in the regard due to the decrease in damage, but the tougher amour gives them a slight advantage in melee too.  Clerics also seem more than competent with their ability to heal, and Fighters appear to take a significantly lower amount of damage than the other classes, making them suitable for a variety of solo, and group situations.

All in Brawl
A player’s interest in Fiesta will no doubt dwindle as the game progresses forward.  Quests become scarce, grinding predominant, and although many of the standard features such as crafting, mounts, and guilds have been included nothing truly stands out from the pack.  The limited PvP options and lack of tactical dungeon and group-play challenges will no doubt leave higher-level players wanting, yet as I mentioned previously, Fiesta appears to be more focused on inviting new players to the genre with open arms than it does catering for those that play for days, or even weeks at a time.

While the PvP system is no doubt limited it is certainly still available, and takes form in special “PvP Enabled” zones found throughout towns. Players may enter these zones whenever they see fit, provided they meet the level requirements, and inside are able to fight by any rules they see fit.  Certain restrictions, such as ‘spawn camping’ and ‘afk killing’ are frowned upon, but for the most part, players are free to enter these zones at their own risk for as much PVP recreation as they can handle.

Final Verdict: Good
While Fiesta is clearly lacking many of the more advanced features of the genre, players new to the MMORPG scene will be hard-pressed to find a warmer welcome anywhere else.  While this approach will no doubt leave experienced players wanting, I feel that the simple systems and limited options will be greatly appreciated by newcomers, giving them a chance to learn the ropes in a much less complicated environment.

Screenshots

Fiesta Online Screenshots

Videos

Fiesta Online Videos

Fiesta Online Character Creation

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fiesta Online High Level Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fiesta Online Official Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fiesta Online Boss Battle

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fiesta Online Gameplay Footage

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Fiesta Online Links

Fiesta Online Official Site

FiestaFan Wiki

Fiesta Online Wikia

System Requirements

Fiesta Online System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: 1.6 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent AMD processor
RAM: 512MB Free
HDD: 3.0 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce MX or equivalent

Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: 2.0 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent AMD processor
RAM: 1GB Free
HDD: 3.0 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce TI or Radeon 9200

Full Review

Metin Review

By Erhan Altay

Originally released in 2004 by a Korean developer, Metin has had great success in Europe. More recently, Subagames has published the game for the North American region and given us all a chance to experience it firsthand. Even four years ago, Metin 2 was not a graphically impressive game. By today’s standards, the graphics are rather poor; the 3D characters look decent but the terrain is mostly dull and repetitive. In August 2009 Metin 2 was passed to the Canadian MMORPG publisher Z8Games.

Chose Your Fighter

Character creation seems to be one of the areas sacrificed to make Metin 2 a simple, stream lined MMORPG. There are 3 kingdoms at war, each with identical classes; Warrior, Mage, Assassin, and Sura. The only customization choice players are given is gender and two outfits per class. There are no immediate hair style or color choices though these can be purchased through the item mall. What’s even stranger is that despite the kingdom you select, the starting location is the same for all players. While picking a faction, players are clearly made to select different geographic locations on a map so how they end up starting in the same area is never explained. New characters do not start with any skills or skill points but do start with a different allocation of the game’s 4 stats; Con, Int, Str, and Dex. Each Each level players are given additional stat points to distribute and will start receiving skill points after they make their first class change at level 5.

Welcome to Metin

Metin 2 starts players out on the outskirts of a town surrounded by green hills. Quests, as they become available, will appear on the left of the screen in the form of small scroll icons. The first of these will ask players to go talk to an NPC located nearby. The radar and map in Metin are very crude but do a modest job leading players to quest objectives. NPCs with whom you have business will flash red on the radar which helps to easily locate them. The map which can be opened by hitting ‘m’ will give you a simple layout of the zone you’re in. I’ve yet to discover a method to open a world map screen which I found frustrating. From that first initial quest, players are given many more but I’ve found that most are not worth the effort. The only quests worth doing are the ones marked ‘level x quest’ where x is your current level. These quests involve killing 2-4 of a certain monster and carry a huge reward — +90-99% experience. Simply by doing these you can get to level 21 in no time. My only advice is to not carried away and keep grinding when you hit level 5. Take the time to go back to town chose your specialized class. Luckily, there is no complicated procedure involved in this, just go to town and talk to the appropriate NPC and you’re done! To get more information on what each class does, please read the overview tab.

Dogs and Wolves

The combat in Metin 2 is a bit different than most MMORPGs. Rather than simply select a target, hit the attack button and watch, players make each swing of the sword with a separate click. Additionally, monsters usually come in waves of 3 or more and your attacks are capable of hitting multiple targets. This leads to much more fast paced and entertaining fights. For example, having a pack of 6 wolves coming at you and hitting them all back with a single sword strike is both entertaining and gives the game an ‘arcade’ feel. Unfortunately, Metin 2 has taken the old MMORPG habit of recycling monster models to a new extreme. Throughout your first 15 people you’re likely to fight nothing but different types of dogs and wolves. You have your hungry wolves, your alpha wolves and your gray, blue, and regular wolves. Not content with that, there are also combination of these adjectives. For example you may find yourself trying to track down ‘hungry alpha blue wolves’ for a quest but can’t seem to find anything but hungry blue wolves or alpha gray wolves. In general, the further you get from town the higher the stronger the monsters but the spawns are random to a certain extent. If you kill a group of blue wolves, they may respawn as hungry blue wolves the next time. The first area of Metin 2 is filled with recycled wolves, boars, bears, and tigers. Things don’t get much better later either — two maps later you’ll encounter ‘cursed wolves’ with all the adjectives thrown in from of them.

Watch Your Back

What the game lacks in PvE content, it makes up with in PvP. Upon reaching level 15, players will be able to participate in Metin 2’s factional PvP system. Players will be free to attack or be attacked by members of the opposing kingdoms, death will carry an experience penalty so its important to avoid hopeless battles. Metin also has a dueling system in place where both players must consent. This method carries no experience lose. The final PvP method, called ‘open’ is a special mode players may enter which allows them to attack or be attacked by any player, including members of their own faction. Player killing in this fashion carries stiff penalties, frequent PKers will start to randomly drop items from their inventory upon death. Players are free to form guilds and can even purchase special guild forts in Metin but the higher in level you get, the more necessary the cash shop items will seem.

Final Verdict: Fair

Metin 2 is a dated game with simple controls and gameplay but offers an exciting combat system. The fast experience rate keeps things exciting during the early levels but the repetitive monster designs, boring maps and low population keep Metin 2 from earning my recommendation.

Screenshots

Metin 2 Screenshots

Videos

Metin 2 Videos

Metin 2 Gameplay Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Metin 2 Beginner Footage

Click here to view the embedded video.

Metin 2 Character Creation

Click here to view the embedded video.

Metin 2 Combat Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Metin 2 Official Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Metin 2 Links

Metin 2 Official Site

Metin 2 Wikipedia Entry

System Requirements

Metin 2 System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista
CPU: Pentium-III 600MHz
RAM: 256MB
HDD: 650 MB
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 7000  or nVidia RIVA TNT2
DirectX: 9.0c

Recommended Specification:
OS:  Windows XP
CPU: Pentium-IV 1.5 GHz or above
RAM: 1.0 GB or more
HDD: 3.0 GB or more
Graphics Card: ATI Radeon 8500 / Geforce3 Ti or above
DirectX: 9.0c or better

Full Review

Dungeons & Dragons Online Review

By, Erhan Altay

I first ran across Dungeons and Dragons (D&D for short) in a comic book shop when I was in grade school. Since then, I’ve played the venerable tabletop role playing game off and on again in my basement with bags full of dice, pencils, notebooks and plenty of hardcover instruction manuals. I always imagined D&D would make a great video game since almost all fantasy-themed video games already borrowed so much from it. Dozens of high quality games were eventually released based on the D&D franchise, including the Baulder’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Icewind Dale series.  Unfortunately, all of these titles lacked something that made D&D special – the social experience. You just can’t play D&D alone. Finally, in February of 2008, Turbine partnered with Wizards of the Coast to remedy this situation by releasing the MMORPG Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach.

Death & Rebirth

Dungeons & Dragons Online was originally released as a subscription based game where players had to pay $15 a month to access the game. During the time of release this was the standard model in the industry but with World of Warcraft as a direct competitor, things looked grim. Eventually the decision was made to re-launch the game as Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Unlimited which would be free-to-play with optional micropayments as the primary means of revenue. Fortunately, all the content updates that went into the game during its pay-to-play life are included in the newly re-launched version. Major updates to the game are known as modules, and there have been a total of eight thus far. Each module has added new dungeons, quests, items, gameplay fixes and so on. Several new races and classes have been introduced through modules, such as the Monk in module 7. New players do not need to know the history of the game in order to enjoy it, but should be aware that they are experiencing a game that has had years of refinement.

Bring Out the Character Sheets!

One of the most enjoyable activities in tabletop D&D is the process of creating a new character. Players choose their race, class, distribute stat points, skills points, and select their starting feats. The level of customization all these steps left open was mind boggling, and it was possible to spend hours researching the best build. Dungeons & Dragons Online manages to preserve that deep character creation process, but also to streamline it for players who just want to get on with it. There are three types of classes available: Melee, Spell, and Specialist. Ten of the eleven archetypes should be familiar to gamers, with the exception being the “Favored Soul” class. That class (along with the Monk) must be purchased before they can be selected, so new players don’t even have to worry about the cleric/sorcerer hybrid. As for races, there are a total of six, though two of them, the Warforged and Drow Elf, must be purchased before use. Each race has unique racial bonuses and flaws which are explained during character creation. The game offers players three predesigned ‘paths’ for each class, but also allows players to customize their skills and feats on their own. Paths can best be described as specializations. So for example a Ranger can chose to pursue skills and feats that allow him to proficiently duel-wield weapons or to perfect his long ranged bow and arrow use. Even after character creation, players can always switch paths or decide on their own what abilities to learn. The ability to multiclass adds yet another layer of complexity to the game, but new players should just stick to the pre made templates for their first character. Appearance customization is similarly in-depth with plenty of hair, nose, lip, eye, and ear options.

Marooned on Korthos Island

After the intricate character creation process players find themselves shipwrecked on Korthos Island which acts as a newbie area for the first two or three levels. An NPC guides players along a path towards a grotto where they run through a dungeon with an AI party, which includes a cleric, sorcerer, and rogue. A special buff prevents players from dying during this introductory dungeon, but it does serve as a good example of what gameplay is like in Dungeons & Dragons Online. A narrator acts as the ‘dungeon master’ and provides players with flavor text and instructions as they progress through an adventure. Dungeons generally contain plenty of secret treasures, traps, and optional areas which helps them feel like an authentic D&D adventure. I even had to use my ’search’ skill to detect a hidden door during one of the early dungeons. Dungeons & Dragons Online loosely follows the 3.5 D&D rules which, among other things, means players have a limited amount of spells per day. Health points do not regenerate automatically while on an adventure, but players can rest at special rest shrines to restore their hp and daily spell limits.

Real Time Combat

Combat in Dungeons & Dragons Online resembles the gameplay in action-RPGs where players have to click or hold down the left mouse button to swing their weapons. For every swing, ability or spell the game automatically rolls the appropriate dice on the left hand side of the screen to determine whether players hit their target and how much damage they deal. All equipment is labeled in the same fashion as the tabletop game.  For example, a long sword might have a damage stat of ‘1d8′ which means it deals 1-8 damage (plus any stat or ability modifiers) on each successful attack. For melee attacks, the twenty sided dice reigns supreme and players must roll a number that beats the defender’s AC (armor class.) Gameplay in D&D Online much more closely resembles Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance for home consoles than it does PCRPGs based on the D&D franchise, such as Neverwinter Nights. Overall, this is a good thing since it makes the game accessible to a broader audience who are more interested in hack & slash than strategy. The fact that dungeons are riddled with puzzles to solve, levers to switch on, and so on also help make the game more attractive to gamers who grew up playing Zelda and other console action-adventure titles.

Instancing & Storytelling

Dungeons & Dragons Online is set in the world of Eberron, which was originally a campaign setting for D&D. What sets Eberron apart from the traditional D&D fantasy landscape is the inclusion of non-medieval technologies such as trains, skyships and mechanical beings. The Warforged race is a good example of this since they were originally automatons constructed by the other races. Throughout their adventures players will encounter factories and other signs of industry, though all of this technology is powered by magic rather than fossil fuels in Eberron. The world itself is structured in a fashion similar to the way Guild Wars structures things. All areas outside towns are instanced for each individual player or party leaving only the towns as true persistent areas where players can interact freely. There are costs and benefits to this system but for D&D Online I feel it makes a good fit. Thick flavor text and lore are key components of any D&D experience and instancing is the only way to accommodate the experience of being the first person to venture into a forgotten cavern. If there were dozens of players already camping the elder gazer spawn, it just wouldn’t make much sense. Like with most MMORPGs, players are free to skip the quest dialogue but I would advise against it. There are far fewer ‘filler’ quests in D&D Online than there are in other MMORPGs. Almost every quest is tied to the ‘big picture’ of the area you’re currently exploring. For example, Kathos Island is beset by several troubles which players slowly learn are interlinked. Dungeons themselves are repeatable and come in four difficulty settings. The easiest method of clearing adventures is the solo mode which is only available to those playing by themselves. From my experience solo dungeons are a bit too easy. I plowed through every monster and boss I encountered and barely ever needed a rest. The rewards available in dungeons increase with the difficulty but the first few dungeons aren’t worth repeating since the entire first area serves as more of an introduction to the game than anything else.

Stormreach & Beyond

After clearing things up in Korthos Island, players are free to set sail towards Stormreach where more adventures await. Free players can experience the bulk of content available in Stormreach and its vicinity but additional adventure supplements must be purchased from the D&D Store with Turbine points. There are several in-game methods of earning Turbine points (such as hitting certain levels), so with persistence players can slowly unlock additional content. Players start with 50 points and can purchase additional points in amounts of 400, 900, 1500, and 5000. Discounts are given for volume with $6.25 buying 400 points and $49.99 yielding 5000. New classes & races cost around 590 points while adventure packs cost anywhere from 800-1000 points. New players won’t need to worry about purchasing new content for a long time since there are plenty of adventures to be had in Stormreach. The maximum level in Dungeons & Dragons Online is 20 which sounds low but the game has done a good job of breaking each level into various ‘ranks’ to keep the pacing tolerable. Additionally, the game throws plenty of equipment rewards your way with the completion of quests, so your character’s growth is always noticeable. Besides raiding dungeons, players can participate in PvP which was added in module 3. Besides challenging one another to duels, players can participate in all-out brawls in local taverns, which have free-for-all rings similar to the arenas found in the original EverQuest in towns like Qeynos. Even with these features, Dungeons & Dragons Online is not a PvP game, but having some competitive options never hurts.

Final Verdict: Excellent

Dungeons & Dragons Online is a high quality MMORPG with plenty of content to explore. The game has done a wonderful job converting the classic tabletop role playing adventure into a virtual world. Narrated storytelling, hundreds of instanced dungeons, and a comprehensive character progression process make D&D Online a must try MMORPG.

Screenshots

Dungeons & Dragons Online Screenshots

Videos

Dungeons & Dragons Online Videos

Dungeons & Dragons Online Opening Cinematic

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dungeons & Dragons Online Character Creation

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dungeons & Dragons Online Tutorial Part 1

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dungeons & Dragons Online Tutorial Part 2

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dungeons & Dragons Online Gameplay Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Dungeons & Dragons Online Links

Dungeons & Dragons Online Official Site

Dungeons & Dragons Online Wikipedia Entry

System Requirements

Dungeons & Dragons Online System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: P4 1.6GHz or AMD equivalent
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 3 GB for standard, 5GB for High-Def
Graphics Card: GeForce FX 5200 or Radeon 7600 64 MB

Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows Vista / XP
CPU: Pentium 4 3.0GHz or AMD equivalentor or better
RAM: 1024 MB (1GB) or more
HDD: 8.0 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce FX 5600 / Radeon 9550 128MB or better

Full Review

Grand Chase Review

By Erhan Altay

Grand Chase was developed by the Korean company ‘KOG Studios’ and originally released back in 2003. Only in the beginning of 2008 was the game localized and brought to the North American market by Ntreev, the publishers of another 2D MMORPG with cute graphics — Trickster Online. The graphics of Grand Chase were not very impressive even back in 2003 but fancy visuals were never the goal. Instead, Grand Chase is a casual friendly game with simple controls and a mainly cooperative gameplay style. Side scrollers are hard to come by these days so it’s always good to see imaginative games like this being brought over from overseas.

Three For One

Grand Chase doesn’t have a character creation process, instead new players have access to three female characters: a melee fighter, archer, and mage. Each of these can be selected at any time before starting a game. Each levels up and has their own equipment and missions. There are an additional five characters that can be unlocked, 4 of which are male but the fact that none of the starting characters are male can be frustrating. For a detailed explanation of what each character does and their job progression, take a look at the overview tab. Overall, I feel Grand Chase has a good concept going here. Why bother forcing players to make multiple characters or accounts? Since each character must be leveled up independently, this feature also adds a lot to the game’s play time. Unlocking and leveling up all 8 characters is not something most players will commit to, but there are always completionists out there.

Left to Right

Unlike traditional MMORPGs, Grand Chase has no persistent world and works more in a lobby fashion where players host rooms and others join. There are currently two servers which never get more than mildly populated, so finding a full group of adventurers is not always easy. A short, optional tutorial is available to teach the game’s controls but it’s really not very helpful otherwise. The tutorial pits you against a motionless foe that acts as a training dummy for you to try out all of the game’s attacks. Gameplay is handled exclusively with the keyboard while interface navigation is done through the mouse. Since Grand Chase is a 2D side scrolling game, players can only move left or right, the up arrow causes you to jump and the down arrow descends players to the previous level. ‘Z’ performs your basic attack while holding Z activates special skills. Which skill your character performs is based on how long you hold the ‘z’ key before releasing. The longer you hold, the more powerful the spell. Players can also dash by double tapping either left or right and perform aerial attacks by hitting ‘z’ while jumping. By spamming the attack key, your character pulls off some impressive combos. This, along with occasionally moving away and waiting for the AI controlled monsters to do their predictable attacks, is usually enough to get past most stages.

Into the Forest

There are currently three continents in the Grand Chase world but players start with access to only the first. Each continent has roughly a dozen stages but it won’t take long to get sick of them. Players will find themselves playing through each stage many, many times since various quest requirements cannot be met with a single run-through. To make matters worse, each stage has three difficult settings and certain quests are tied to specific difficulty settings. If you’re looking to work up more than one character at a time, expect to run through some of the stages dozens of times. The fact that you have to repeat stages so often may be frustrating but don’t let that bother you too much, the gameplay in Grand Chase is fast paced and the early stages can be cleared within minutes with a group of four players. Each level has a boss at the end which makes for an exciting finish. Items collected throughout the stage are randomly distributed at the end and the game encourages cooperation by rewarding bonus experience based on the size of the party. This makes grinding through easy stages alone unproductive, but finding other players to group with is not always easy.

Side Scrolling Battles

Players looking for an alternative way to earn experience and prefer a more competitive playstyle can turn to the PvP mode. Players can actually earn more experience from PvPing than they can from playing story stages. The experience earned is proportional to how well you perform, so players can’t take advantage of this experience method until later levels when they stand a chance in PvP. A tab at the top of the screen puts players in a simple lobby where they can see matches hosted by other players. There is both a team and free for all game mode with up to 6 players per round participating. Other options include ‘Tag Match’ where each player can use two characters and swap between them during the battle. A special item mode can be selected which makes power ups appear around the map. These range from temporary invisibility, invulnerability, damage increases and more. It’s usually much easier to find a PvP game than it is to find a decent group for the PvE missions, but the level ranges are usually staggering.

Accessorize!

Players earn GP by completing missions, quests, and by performing well in PvP. With this GP, they can head to the in-game store and buy new equipment. There are many pages of clothes, weapons, and accessories available for purchase with either GP or real money. The sheer number of items a player can have equipped at one time is hard to believe.  I’ve seen people with a slime pet following them, necklaces, helmets, glowing lights around them and even a gopher over their heads all at once. Most of these items serve a functional use by providing stat boosts but almost every item is temporary, meaning they will disappear after a set time. Even equipment received as quest rewards are timed which can leave you naked until you start playing again and earn new gear. I’ve heard people complain that too many items require real cash to purchase but from my experience, the store had plenty options for free players. Currently, the max level is 60 but the early levels go by very fast which lets you experiment with all three of the starting characters and decide which play style you prefer. Overall, the story missions are relatively easy provided you have a somewhat competent team – the PvP, on the other hand, is much more complex. Since combat is done in real time, getting a feel for how attacks work and timing your dashes, dodges, and jumps is very important. With that said, Grand Chase has a little for everyone who can get past the simplistic graphics.

Final Verdict: Good

Grand Chase is beginning to show its age and while not the most complicated game, it has simple yet satisfying gameplay to keep players entertained. With a unique style, three continents to explore, eight characters to develop and a skill based PvP mode, Grand Chase has plenty of content to keep fans interested.

Screenshots

Grand Chase Screenshots

Videos

Grand Chase Videos

Grand Chase Trial Tower Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Grand Chase PvP Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Grand Chase Tutorial Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Grand Chase Cinematic Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Grand Chase Harpy Boss Battle

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Grand Chase Links

Grand Chase Wikipedia Entry

Grand Chase Official Site

Grand Chase Wiki

System Requirements

Grand Chase System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows 98
CPU: Intel Pentium III 800 MHz
RAM: 256 MB
HDD: 2.5 GB
Graphics Card: 3D support

Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP
CPU: Intel Pentium IV 1.5 GHz or better
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 3.5 GB or more free
Graphics Card: 3D support

Full Review

Runes of Magic Review

By 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…
You see, throughout these past short years, years that have been particularly kind to the MMO industry, games have been cloning one another on an almost daily basis. Hell, if you wanna get real technical – any game portraying an open 3D world with a third-person perspective is a clone of the original Everquest – and although I can’t think of it off the top of my head – Everquest is probably a clone of another, albeit less popular, MMO game. Cloning is simply part of the industry, and as much as I don’t particularly like the idea – it’s here to stay, and it’s something we have to get used to.

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
For the three of you reading this that have absolutely no idea what the WoW formula is, or any other standard MMORPG formula for that matter, it is simply the standard way that MMORPG games are played. You create a character, and spend a large quantity of your life making that character great, through killing monsters and gaining experience and equipment, thereby making your character stronger. Thanks to the countless content updates and additions to these games, this cycle is damn near never ending – and is the main contributor to the new ‘MMO Addiction’ craze that’s taking the world by storm.

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
The key here, and the thing that gives RoM so much of its undeniable charm, is in the improvements and additions that have been made to the formula – many of which are incredible additions that truly make the game. One such addition, also the one that I like the most, is in the character creation whereby players are able to choose the size of each of their individual body parts – giving each player their own individual look and style. Add to this over 30 different face and hair options, and you have a recipe for total character customization – a simple, yet highly appreciated addition to the game.

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.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
Diamonds are the in-game currency used in RoM, and can only be obtained by spending real hard-earned dollars – well – future real hard-earned dollars, as you’ll need to use a credit card to make a purchase. Diamonds can be used to purchase a number of different things in RoM, from furniture for your house or upgrades for your weapons, to additional bag space and mounts to travel faster across the world, and although you don’t need to purchase diamonds – you’ll definitely want to, as they make the playing experience a lot more fun when you do. One downside to the game’s cash shop is that the most powerful enchantment items are only available through the cash shop.

CAUSE AND EFFECT
Also thrown into the mix in RoM is an older style PvP system in which you have full access to attack any player you choose provided that you are both above level 15. Of course, doing so will net you some negative karma – causing you to turn red and drop your equipment if you’re killed. I’ve been a massive fan of this style of PvP back since the days when Lineage 2 was a top game, because you really have to think about who you kill as the repercussions can be deadly. There’s nothing more fun then losing your cool with a party member, ganking them out of pure frustration, then running for your life from a horde of greedy gamers drooling over the weapons they might get if they can kill you.

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: Great
Runes of Magic didn’t just raise the bar, it continues to push it higher. It is a stalwart example of the glorious free-to-play gaming era that we have only recently begun to experience, and although it currently still has a number of flaws, it’s already one hell of a gaming experience, and a must play for any MMO gamer.

Screenshots

Runes of Magic Screenshots

Videos

Runes of Magic Videos

Runes 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

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Runes of Magic Links

Runes of Magic Official Site

Runes of Magic Forums

Runes of Magic Wiki

System Requirements

Runes of Magic System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 512MB or more
HDD: 3.62GB
DirectX 9.0c compatible with 128MB RAM Video Card

Minimum Requirements:
Intel Pentium 4 Core Duo 2.0 GHz or equivalent
RAM: 1GB or more
HDD: 6GB or more
DirectX 9.0c compatible with 256MB RAM Video Card

Full Review

4Story Full Review

Coming soon…

Screenshots

4Story Screenshots

Videos

4Story Videos

4Story PvP Music Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

4Story Class Previews

Click here to view the embedded video.

4Story Boss Battle Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

4Story Official Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

4Story Links

4Story Official Site

System Requirements

4Story System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows 2000/XP
CPU: Pentium4 1.6GHz
RAM: 512MB
HDD: 2GB
Graphics Card:  Geforce FX5700 128MB

Recommended Specification:
OS: Windows 2000/XP
CPU: Pentium4 2.0GHz or better
RAM: 1024MB or more
HDD: 3 GB free
Graphics Card: GeForce FX6600 256MB or better

Full Review

Battle of the Immortals Review

By Erhan Altay

Battle of the Immortals is an action packed free to play MMORPG from the creators of Perfect World. The game was built using a different engine than previous Perfect World Entertainment titles and plays like an old school action-RPG. The isometric camera view, and ‘2.5D’ graphics aren’t cutting edge, but Battles of the Immortals has plenty of interesting features to pick up the slack.

Cookie Cutter Characters

The closed beta for Battle of the Immortals started on April 13th, 2010 and is scheduled to end on April 30th. After a wipe, the open beta should start shortly after. Each server has multiple channels which are duplicates of the same game world. This feature keeps certain areas from suffering overpopulation while still allowing friends to play together. Players are given five character slots per server which is just enough for the game’s 5 classes. The classes are all standard fantasy archetypes and include Berzerker (damage dealing warrior), Champion (tank), Slayer (rogue), Magus (mage), and Heretic (priest.) Character customization is very limited. Players can chose from five hair styles and ten face styles. That’s it. Regardless of the options selected, characters end up looking very much alike.

A Diverse World

The game world of Battle of the Immortals borrows heavily from an assortment of cultures. New players start off in an Egyptian setting, but are soon catapulted to the bottom of the ocean, then onto the exotic Easter Island. Asian themed areas are also included, as is a frigid Nordic island. The varied environments help keep the visuals interesting, but the game’s heavy use of automation means most players will never feel immersed in the game world. Controls are simple enough. Like most games with isometric camera views, movement is done exclusively with the mouse. That means Battle of the Immortals is a click-to-move game, but keyboard shortcuts are available to make interface navigation and skill use much easier. A series of help menus provide new players with basic instructions, but the controls themselves are not complicated. Instead, players will pick up the basics as they complete a never ending chain of quests.

Running on Auto Pilot

Like many Asian MMORPGs, Battle of the Immortals has a built in auto-navigate feature in which players can click on the name of an NPC or monster and watch their character automatically move to where they are located. Most quests either involve speaking to a certain NPC, killing a certain number of a particular monster, or collecting a certain number of a particular item. All three types of quest are easy to figure out and can be done with minimal effort. The first dozen or so quests reward players with potions and equipment along with tons of experience. Questing is so rewarding that leveling without them is unthinkable in BOI. But with them, levels go by fast. Players can easily hit level 20 in their first play session. Even with the level cap set somewhere around 95, that’s pretty fast.

Touch & Feel

Fast paced gameplay and an interesting game world may give players a good first impression of Battles of the Immortals, but the font and interface are likely to cause frustration. The text in the game is nearly unreadable and just looks plain ugly. Obviously this is a localization issue since the game was originally developed in China. Hopefully this problem will be fixed before the final release. Another headache is the interface. The inventory and character menus look rough and are needlessly complicated. Bag space is also terribly restricted. The game gives away a lot of items with gift boxes, but just juggling these freebies along with the potions and loot collected is a hassle since players only have 25 inventory slots to work with.

Fight Against the Odds

Combat is for the most part fluid, but doesn’t feel quite as responsive as in Diablo 2 or other high production games. Monsters have a tendency to bunch up literally on top of each other which looks a bit cheesy. Perfect World Entertainment has beefed up the aggressiveness of the monsters for the Western version of Battle of the Immortals. This means that even at low levels, enemies won’t just stand around to be beaten on like the monsters in Jade Dynasty or Ether Saga Online do. Players have several tools in their arsenal for dealing with these aggressive monsters. The first is something called XP skills. Unlike regular skills which require MP to use, XP skills can only be activated when the XP bar fills. These skills deal massive damage in a large area of effect radius. They are perfect for quickly completing kill quests since monsters tend to bunch up together. The second tool is the pet system.

Gotta Catch ‘em All!

One of the most interesting features in Battle of the Immortals is its pet system. Players don’t start with a pet, but any class can get one simply by killing monsters. Almost every monster, including some bosses, have a chance of dropping them selves as a pet when defeated. When this happens, they’ll float where they fell but the player’s cursor will turn into a lasso when hovered over them. Right clicking on the monster at this stage will add it to the player’s pet list. Like player characters, pets have five stats (Vit, Spr, Str, Int, Dex) and can learn skills. Each pet has a different primary stat and either a magical or physical attack type. All pets start at level 1 but quickly level up as they share experience with their master. Pets gain 2 stat points per level that must be distributed among the five stats. Player character also gain two stat points, but only after level 20. Until then, the game handles stat allocation automatically. Only one pet can be activated at a time, and two more can be kept in storage. An additional pet storage slot is available for every 30 levels a player progresses, but that is still far too limited. Dismissing old pets is the most difficult decision players have to make in Battle of the Immortals, and it would be been great if we were able to store them someplace like in Pokemon.

Mounts & More

Players also have to manage various mounts in the game. There are six mount slots to work with, but given the large variety of mounts even this may prove limited. The first standard mount is granted as a reward for completing an instanced dungeon. Later, mechanical mounts and even mounts that can be ridden by multiple players become available. Besides mounts and pets, there’s a host of other features included in Battle of the Immortals. Each week players are given 300 minutes of double experience time that they can activate and deactivate as often as they like. Players also earn salary points based on how many hours they spend online. These salary points can be used to purchase premium items and serve as an alternative to the item mall which requires ZEN. There’s also a controversial in-game botting system called Combat Aid. It requires ‘energy’ to use. The amount of energy required means it is only viable starting at level 60, but it just goes further in promoting automation over player input. The reasoning behind an official bot program is always that people are just going to bot anyway. It still feels like a lazy move on the developers part, and definitely makes the game feel less credible.

Delivering the End Game

Besides instanced dungeons that require parties of up to 6 to complete, the game offers a simple PvP system to keep high level players interested. Starting at level 31, players can click a little blue shield icon near their health bars and turn on PvP mode. This allows them to attack and be attacked by other players. But PvP is not a complete free for all, killing innocent players will turn a player’s name yellow and eventually red. Players flagged as murderers in this way will drop equipment upon death. Another feature that is only available later on is the Tech system (level 35) which is the main method of crafting. The ability to tweak weapon and armor stats through forging and gem socketing also adds a level of customization to the game. Most weapons will naturally gain experience as they are used and become more powerful. This means even gear acquired during earlier levels can still be made useful. All these features will benefit players who stick around, but is Battle of Immortals worth the effort? Well that depends on taste. It’s not the most cutting edge game, but it is casual friendly and easy to play.

Final Verdict: Great

Battle of the Immortals isn’t perfect, but it is a highly playable MMORPG with fast paced gameplay. Progression feels well paced, and new features slowly unlock as players level up. The pet and mount systems are top notch, but the game does too much to promote automation. Even with the diverse environments and quests, there’s never a sense of depth to Battle of the Immortals.

Screenshots

Battle of the Immortals Screenshots

Videos

Battle of the Immortals Videos

Battle of the Immortals Official Launch Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Battle of the Immortals Character Creation

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Battle of the Immortals Links

Battle of Immortals Official Site

Battle of the Immortals Wikipedia Entry

Battle of the Immortals Official Wiki

System Requirements

Battle of the Immortals System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: Pentium 4 1.8 GHz
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 2 GB Free
Graphics Card: NVidia GeForce FX 5700

Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
CPU: Pentium 4 2 GHz or better
RAM: 1024 MB (1GB) or more
HDD: 4 GB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce 6600 GT or better

Full Review

Lost Saga Review

By, Omer Altay

Lost Saga is an incredibly unique 3D Fighting MMO published by OG Planet. Gameplay-wise, Lost Saga plays out a lot like games like Rumble Fighter and Splash Fighters, with two exceptions – it’s a lot more chaotic, and much more fluid. Think of Lost Saga as a 3D super smash brothers MMO (with more chaos), and some interesting MMO elements. Choose from one of over nine playable ‘heroes’ ranging from the generic fantasy ‘Fire Mage’, to the more modern gun-wielding ‘Infantryman’, and duke it out online with up to 16 players at once across numerous game modes.

Starting Out

Immediately after logging into Lost Saga for the first time – players are given the option of completing a short yet informative tutorial. The tutorial only takes a few minutes to complete and is well worth checking out before proceeding to join a game. All players start off their adventures in Lost Saga as a Shadow Assassin, one of the game’s many playable heroes, and must first ‘unlock’ the other characters before being able to play them. The good thing is that none of the game’s heroes are exactly ‘over powered’, so even though most players won’t have access to the higher tier characters right away, the game is still fairly balanced. Anyways, right after completing the tutorial players should go ahead and join their first game by selecting the ‘battle’  button on the bottom-left corner of the screen. I recommend joining a ‘team match’ game first, as players respawn right away after dying.  This makes it the most newbie friendly of the game modes.

Extremely Chaotic

Lost Saga is an extremely chaotic fighting game. It’s fairly fast-paced and supports to up 16 players at once. Nearly all of the game’s maps are fairly small as well, and the fact that most of the game’s heroes have at least one ‘area-of-effect’ skill further fuels the chaotic nature of the game. Another aspect of the game that makes it all the more intense is that every single one of the game’s 9+ playable heroes have four different skills, so at any given time there’s almost always a Shadow Assassin hidden somewhere in the shadows waiting to ambush a player, or a Fire Mage up front casting some devastating area of effect spells. While playing, try to knock enemies off of the map, as falling off the map deals A LOT of damage to a player. Personally, after playing many slow-paced fighting MMOs like Rumble Fighter and Splash Fighters, I find that the hectic nature of Lost Saga is quite fun.

Unlocking New Heroes

All players in Lost Saga start off with access to only a single hero (the “Shadow Assassin”), but can quickly unlock the other heroes by playing the game for a bit. I was able to unlock the “Iron Knight” class after a single “Team Match” game, and the “Fire Mage” after four “Team Match” games, so unlocking new heroes doesn’t take that long. Do keep in mind that although new heroes have to be purchased in the game’s store with Pesos (the game’s currency) in order to be used, every time a new hero is unlocked for the first time players are rewarded with ‘2 hours’ of free game time with that hero. After those two hours are up, you’ll need to purchase additional time with that hero in the game’s store. It’s not a bad system, as most people won’t play as every single hero, but rather only a handful of them. Personally, I only liked playing as Iron Knight and Infantryman, so I could spend my money on purchasing time only for those heroes rather than all of them. The first two hours with each hero is free, so players will have plenty of time to try them all out and see which they like the best. Also, keep in mind that unlike games like Combat Arms and Wolfteam, (where players purchase items for X amount of days, the timer beginning immediately after the purchase), the hero time in Lost Saga only counts the time spent actually playing the game and that particular hero, not time spent logged off or in the chat lobby.

Enormous amounts of customization / Variety

Perhaps the most notable feature in Lost Saga is the game’s customization options and variety. Every single one of the game’s many heroes each level-up/earn experience independently from one another based on how often and how effective they were used in a single match. Every time a player dies, they can choose to spawn as a new hero, so if the enemy team has a bit too many fire mages or Infantryman it may be a wise decision to respawn as a Shadow Assassin and ambush them from behind with stealth. As players earn experience for their heroes and level them up they can further customize them by purchasing them new clothing, as well as use up ‘upgrade points’ earned by leveling up on decreasing skill cooldowns or boosting attributes (Attack, Defense, Speed and Dexterity). Every single hero has their own skills and attributes, so try to level the heroes you’re good with rather than all of them at once. Each hero feels distinctly different as well, so it’s hard to get bored of Lost Saga. If you’re tired of playing as a Knight, try the Cowboy or Boxing Champ hero. The developers are constantly working on releasing more heroes as well, so in terms of overall content and variety, Lost Saga scores quite well.

Even more Variety!

One incredibly interesting aspect of Lost Saga that I feel adds a lot of depth to the game is that players can pick up weapons and equipment from other players that they defeat, or their allies defeat. The equipment you pick up can change which skills your character has, which makes for some really interesting combination. If I’m playing as a Shadow Asssassin and I pick up, say, a Wizard’s Hat, I’ll lose my own ‘hat throw’ ability but gain the Fire Mage’s teleport skills. Let’s say I’m teleporting around and killing people as a weird Fire Mage/Shadow Assassin combo, and I also drop my Assassin claws for an Infantryman’s rifle.  Now I’m running around with the Stealth ability of an Assassin, the teleport ability of a Fire Mage, and the ranged attack of an Infantryman. Of course, in order to pick up a weapon from a dead player, you need to drop yours first, but this whole mix-and-match-pick-up-dead-people’s-equipment system is a really quite awesome. My favorite mix of items was the Knight’s gear plus an Infantryman’s gun, as it allowed me to have incredibly high defense as well as a powerful ranged attack. Keep in mind, though – if you die, you’ll respawn as one of the default classes again.

Few Game Modes

Even though my favorite game modes in Lost Saga was ‘Team Match’.  The game has a few other modes worth mentioning. Team Match has two team (red and blue), and whichever team reaches a certain amount of kills first wins. Death Match is exactly like Team Match, but without the teams. Prisoner Mode plays out like Team Match except without respawns (Think Counter-Strike). Lastly, the “Boss Raid” gameplay mode involves all players on one team against one tough computer controlled ‘boss’ on the other. One of my only major complaints with Lost Saga is that there aren’t more game modes. I mean, come on – how hard could it have been to program a few extra modes? Game modes like “King of the Hill” and “Capture the Flag”, for example, should have definitely been included.

Final Verdict – Great

Lost Saga is without a doubt one of the best fighting MMOs out there. The sheer amount of customization and variety, as well as genuinely fun gameplay makes Lost Saga a must-play for anyone into the whole ‘fighting’ MMO genre. Do keep in mind though, the gameplay is extremely chaotic and likely won’t appeal to everyone, though I still suggest that anyone who hasn’t played Lost Saga yet to at least check it out. What are you waiting for? Give Lost Saga a try!

Screenshots

Lost Saga Screenshots

Videos

Lost Saga Videos

Lost Saga Gameplay Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Lost Saga Feature Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Lost Saga Links

Lost Saga Official Site

System Requirements

Lost Saga System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 1.2 Ghz or AMD 1600+
RAM: 256 MB
HDD: 900 MB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce4 Ti 4200 or ATI Radeon 9000

Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista / 2000
CPU: Intel Pentium 4 2.4 Ghz
RAM: 512 MB Free
HDD: 900 MB Free
Graphics Card: GeForce FX5200 or ATI Radeon 9250

Full Review

Aika Preview

By, Jamie Skelton

Aika is a fantasy MMORPG published by Gala-Net (Flyff, Rappelz, and Allods Online) and produced by JoyImpact (Neo Steam). Combining classic MMO elements with special twists on ideas like the personal pet (Pran) and rewarding PvP combat, Aika is a beautiful game with potential to be one of the best F2P MMOs available.

The Dark Arts are for Men Only

Aika offers six classes to choose from: two melee (Warrior and Paladin), two ranged (Rifleman and Dual Gunner), and two casters (Warlock and Cleric.) Classes are gender-locked, meaning only male characters can be Warriors, Riflemen, and Warlocks, while only female characters can be Paladins, Dual Gunners, and Clerics.  Character customization itself is not fantastic, but there are enough options for hair, hair color, and face to feel at least a little bit apart from the rest of your newbie brethren.  Although gender-locked classes are a disappointment, each class offers something unique to both PvE and PvP elements. Regardless of class, players won’t feel unwanted for groups or PvP.

Involved in the Story

Aika has a great deal of classic MMORPG components, including storyline-based questing. Quests in Aika are made more intriguing, partially because to receive them, players must go through series of scripted dialogue between the player character and the NPC. This is a different system than the traditional block of text followed by objectives and a reward. The artful story-telling doesn’t get in the way of clear quest objectives, which are included in both an on-screen tracker and decent hints in your quest log. Even when the quest dialogue fails to expose where the “bad guy” is, the quest interface will direct players to the name of the enemy they need to find and what area it can be found. And, as a bonus, Aika is well-translated and localized – the “Engrish” common to many free-to-plays is nowhere to be found.

Meet Your Fairy Daughter

While other MMORPGs may make you wait dozens of levels before earning access to signature things in the game, Aika gets the ball rolling early. You only gain a few levels before you’re sent off to meet your Pran (also known as your “daughter”). The Pran is essentially a pet system somewhat similar to that of Perfect World International. Prans are fairy children, and the first part of getting your Pran is to find three “rare” drops off three enemies found outside the city within an hour. Although these are rare drops, they are relatively easy to get – I got each of mine in less than ten kills of each creature. Next is choosing the type of Pran you want: Fire (offensive), Water (recovery and defense), or Air (evasive). Collect the right amount of elemental essences for your Pran choice, which are rare drops from the creatures nearby, as a sort of tribute to your Fairy and the Pran system. The essences may take a while to get, unless you choose to trade or buy them off other players, who are pretty willing to make that arrangement. Finally you’ll get your Pran, who starts off as a little buzzing fairy that annoys your Captain, but will eventually evolve into a young girl, whose appearance will change based on the choices you make in feeding and talking with her.

Early Grouping

Not only do you get your Pran early on, you don’t have to wait very long for grouping, either. Before you even hit level ten, you’ll be assigned to check out a new area via a teleporter. This fortress is designed for groups, and comes both with both a normal mode (designed for levels 10+) and a hard mode (designed for 16+). This actually comes as a pleasant surprise for those who enjoy grouping in MMOs, but often find it sparse before end-game content. An in-game LFG tool, that combines chat with a group search features, is also available. Players who prefer to go solo, however, are free to ignore the instance missions if they like, and come back and solo them at higher levels.

Excuse Me, Lord Marshal

For those who love the adrenaline rush of PvP, Aika won’t disappoint, with several types of PvP events that can host thousands of players in massive raids. A common starting point for players are Battlegrounds, organized arena team play similar to that in World of Warcraft – a sort of PvP training ground. These battles can range from teams of 6 to teams of 24, in matches created by players. Players have full choice when creating a battleground as to team size, time limits, game modes, and the winning score criteria.

PvP opens up further in the world itself, in two other types of PvP: Castle Sieges and Nation Wars. Castle Sieges are regularly scheduled events that pit guilds of players vying for the chance to capture the flag of an enemy castle. The winners become rulers of the defeated nation, and the leader of the guild who contributed the most to the win becomes the Lord Marshal, granting that single player the right to change the nation’s tax rates, withdraw from the national treasury, and even make announcements to the entire nation. Players must be careful not to abuse their power, however, as that may make enemies in future PvP scenarios.

Nations, of course – of which there are five – can also war against each other, invading territories, destroying guardian stones, and stealing from national altars. Lakia’s five nations also compete for control of relic, locked away in Temples. These relics grant nation-wide buffs, but also must be protected in the owning nation’s temple, which Lord Marshals can direct monetary assistance to. The entire Aika PvP system is intricate, and successful nations are those that work cooperatively, planning both offensive and defensive moves, as well as managing resources through the current Lord Marshal.

Gearing Up On Your Own

Crafting is also available for players who enjoy it, allowing them to create their own armor and weapons at a significant discount to directly purchasing them from vendors. Materials are a very common drop from any enemy, and the crafting UI (available at a forge in town) is simple enough to understand with just a few clicks. Gear can also be enhanced through an enchanter, have its requirements leveled down by a smith, or have its properties transferred to another piece of equipment – all convenient ways of managing and enhancing your gear without stress.

An Orchestrated Story

From the moment you set foot in Aika as a young Aitan, the strong tones of the soundtrack surround you. This isn’t a weak soundtrack either, no boring repeats of some generic music. This is a soundtrack fitting of a full-blown RPG. Special events and quests will also suddenly throw in a new musical piece, to switch you, for instance, from the idyllic tunes of the countryside to something more militaristic as you meet your regiment’s captain. At the same time, the system knows that music can be overbearing and will silence itself after a while of staying in the same area. The music isn’t the only thing to amaze you, either: the entire world is populated with beautifully created graphics, natural lighting, and scenery worth pausing to look at from time to time.

Final Verdict: Great

While Aika may not be the most inventive MMORPG on the market, with many systems familiar to MMO veterans, it certainly stands out from the crowd. The game has a charm about it, whether it’s making an individual feel valuable even in the midst of a battle against hundreds, or making social aspects a key element of its PvP system. Aika is a great game for those who enjoy meaningful player versus player combat, and offers a stellar RPG to boot, making it an MMORPG worth trying at least once.

Screenshots

Aika Screenshots

Videos

Aika Videos

Aika Gameplay Video

Click here to view the embedded video.

Aika PvP Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Aika Tran / Fighter Gameplay

Click here to view the embedded video.

Aika Gameplay Trailer

Click here to view the embedded video.

Links

Aika Links

Aika Official Site

Aika Official Wiki

System Requirements

Aika System Requirements

Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows  XP / Vista
CPU: 1.5 GHz Pentium 4 or better.
RAM: 512 MB
HDD: 2 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia FX 5200 or better

Recommended Specifications:
OS: Windows XP / Vista
CPU: 2 GHz Pentium 4
RAM: 1024 MB (1GB)
HDD: 2 GB Free
Graphics Card: Nvidia 6600