Monthly Archives: January 2009

Apocalypse Board Online

You play an army of Angels or Demons fighting for the future of the human race in this game with a dark and mature atmosphere. You recruit units, make them grow, craft magic orbs, to become the most powerful fighter and crush your opponents.
You face opponents in tactical turn-based fights that make your brain and your nerves to the test. With more than 20 units, some hidden, with varied capabilities, the game offers multiple possibilities.
The presence of merchants makes the game even deeper. Among them, a blacksmith will show you how to make magic orbs from the gems that you will find in fights, the judge will give you the opportunity to recruit new units and the alchemist will be able to make you rich! The game also offers players the ability to create clans allowing them to group together to conquer different cities of a world that will unveil itself little by little when the game will be updated. These updates will be frequent and will often reinforce the interest of the game while adding new units, more merchants and even more capabilities.
This new version offers an interactive gaming experience in real time that only a few web games today can claim to offer their players. Designed to captivate the casual players, like the hardcore gamer, the game is accessible from any computer connected to the Internet, including from closed networks (companies, universities, schools) through the Bluebox technology.

Apocalypse Online Review: Linear Play

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By Vincent Haoson

The Earth is shattered by senseless wars, its resources depleted. Humanity is at the brink of extinction that was caused by the senseless warmongering of the leaders of the different nations. You are one of the remnants of humanity that escaped the effects of war. You are now living in a world scarred forever by the past. All you can think about is to survive.

This bleak post-apocalyptic world that you see yourself in is the world of Apocalypse Online. As one of the remaining human survivors of the war that nearly destroyed the earth, you need to fend for yourself in a Mad Max like setting.

Character Customization

When you enter Apocalypse Online, you get to choose to be part of the four factions that rule supreme in this “scorched earth”. Be part of the Nomads, the faction where peace and unification is their primary goal. Join the Raiders, whose way of living is to take and pillage from the people who have anything worthwhile. Or be like the Techs whose society saved itself from the effects of war by hiding themselves in their protected vaults. Or choose to be part of the Enclave, a mysterious race of highly evolved humanoid insects.

Sadly, you can only choose to become part of two of the four factions in Apocalypse Online. In the character creation screen of the game you can only get to choose to be a Nomad or a Raider. The choice would hardly affect your overall experience though because the difference between the Nomads and the Raider is that you start at two different spawning points.

Speaking of character creation, another problem that you may face when playing Apocalypse Online is that there are a lot of customization features that are unavailable. When you’re creating your character you have the options to choose which faction you belong to, the gender of your character, its class, the hair, face beard and clothes design. Among the customization choices you can’t change the class, face and beard of your character. Though it is understandable that this is the current situation of the game now especially it’s already beta. It should really be bothersome that the game is already “released” in the market for about three years now and all you have is this much.

Graphics and Controls

The graphics of the game is not one of its strong parts too. It may be understandable that a graphics that is of this quality from games that were born in the 90s. Yet Apocalypse Online lacks the graphical advancements that most of the f2p MMOs use.

Another thing is that the controls are a problem. You can’t use the mouse to move your character because the movement is locked to the A,W,S,D keys. The space is used for jumping but I doubt you’ll be using that much because the character jump can be considered a hop with the height of the jump, plus it seems that there is still a bug with the jump sprite because when you do it your character would seem to jump twice. Though this is funny at the beginning, this may irritate eventually as you continue playing.

Game Audio

The audio seems to be lacking in Apocalypse Online as well. Whatever music I hear that comes from the game is either the environment music or the BGM when you enter the game servers and finish a quest. Though it goes without saying that the audio score fits well with the setting, the lack of musical accompaniment can get really unnerving especially when a tune starts plays without warning.

However, there is a redeeming characteristic Apocalypse Online has. The storyline is one of the most coherent I’ve ever seen in a while. Though the story telling could be improved so that it can do justice to the whole storyline, I can say that Apocalypse Online has a story to anchor itself to at least.

Camera Issues

For a game that is already more than a year old, Apocalypse Online sure lacks a lot of things that make MMOs a good game. For one I was surprised to find that you can’t customize your character even though the game system has that option of changing the face of your in-game character.

Another thing is that the camera controls are too sensitive and awkward. There are times when I try to change the camera to get the angle right. The game has an option that when you double-click, the camera immediately pans to where your character is facing. This may be convenient on occasions but this feature sometimes blocks your mouse pointer as you try to communicate with NPCs.

This problem would constantly haunt you as you continue and try the game out because as you begin the only characters you can communicate with in-game are NPCs. The game’s starting area for new characters is empty of any human life whatsoever. However things will at least look better when you do get out of your starting area. Though the population looks scarce, at least you can actually see people playing the game.

Conclusion

Things may improve as the game draws on. The question now is that are you willing to wait for things to change before you start playing? The game may or may not improve in the course of its operation. The game has outdated graphics and even the gameplay has a lot of down points too. Though the storyline seems to be a coherent one, which is rarely seen in games like this it may not be enough to get you hooked into playing the game.

Anarchy Online also has a linear feel to it. You can’t get outside of the town unless you take the first quest. This kills the free roaming feel of the game where you can just go on and explore the world of Duskland at your own leisure.

Pros

– A coherent storyline

– Still in Beta, improvements may come

– The faction system makes for great PVP

Cons

– Outdated Graphics engine

– Camera angles can be irritating

– Controls are awkward to use

Kicks Online International

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Kicks Online has mixed real football with FUTSAL, so it maximizes the excitement of real football even with a small number of persons.

Team Play
Since absolute cooperation-play is required for each player, Football is teamwork!

Character position and growth
Character positions basically consist of FW (attack), MF (midfielder), DF (defender) and as the game goes on, players can grow to become a star player in a specific position. Each position will require special skills and training to hold the position correctly in a game with competition.

Control
You can become expert in tackling, centering, overhead shooting and individual skills, which you see in real Football.

Tales of Pirates: Lunar New Year Event

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As the old saying goes, the early bird catches the worm! At the start of 2009 Tales of Pirates will greet many new players in the launch of the new version 2.0. In order to let the newbie players do some preparation in advance, they have specially arranged the cool Leveling Contest throughout all of the servers. If the players can reach the required level, they will obtain the big rewards that IGG has prepared for them!

Event Duration:
12:00a.m. January, 25th — 12:00a.m.February, 9th EST (GMT-5)

Event Location:
All Servers

Event Description:
Entrants should create an account during the period between January, 25th and January 31st and strive to level up quickly. Until 12:00am EST (GMT-5) February, 9th the TOP official will check the players’ levels in a ranking list. Entrants who have reached Level 60 and level 69 will obtain a Chest of Enigma as reward and those who are level 70 or above will obtain a Chaos Chest.

The challenge of the new map, the challenge of the new BOSSes, also the chance to make new friends in TOP version 2.0 ! We want to see what you can do!

Wonderland Online: Asian New Year Events

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To celebrate the Asian New Year and to give thanks to our players for their continued support, The Wonderland Online Team will be holding a series of events.

1. 2X EXP Event in All Servers:
Event Duration: 1:00am-11:00pm, January 31st
Event Content: Players in all servers can enjoy 2X EXP during the event. They can also get more EXP if they use the EXP items.

2. Discounts in Item Mall
Event Duration: January 24th-January 31st
Event Content: Some items in the Item Mall will be sold at big discounts.

3. Who will be the Next Millionaire?
Event Duration: January 24th-January 31st
Event Content: During the event, players who purchase 500 or more WLO points in a single day can get the chance to win 1000,000 Gold. Officials will choose 1-2 players automatically and each of them will receive 1000,000 Gold. The Gold will be given out during maintenance on February 3rd. The winners also can claim the prize via Live Support everyday. We will also update the name list everyday.

4. Wheel of Fortune
Event Duration: January 24th-January 31st
Event Content: Who will get the Gold Suit in the Wheel of Fortune? Do you feel lucky?

Voyage Century: New and Old Version Comparison

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Many players have experienced the new version of Voyage Century since it’s release on January 16th. Today we have invited the folks at Voyage Century to talk to you about the differences between the new version and the old one.

Difference 1: New Professions VS Non Profession Directions
Compared to the old version, which doesn’t have the distinct directions of the profession development, the new version offers 5 specific professions for players to choose from, based on the most special skills of the old version. In doing so, not only is the powerful skill system maintained, but players also have a distinct direction in which to develop.

Difference 2: More mall items available in the game
In the past, we tried hard to but didn’t totally solve the contradiction between mall items and in-game items until the release of the new version. Players now have a much better chance to obtain those items which previously could only be purchased in the Item Mall. In doing so, the “Free to Play” promise is really being kept.

Difference 3: Merchant Alliance System VS Simply Guild System
The Merchant Alliance system is the highlight of the new version. Players will not only represent their guilds in fights, but also their Merchant Alliances. So wars are no longer just limited to guilds or individuals. You will be able to join in wars on a far larger scale. Fiercer, more cruel, and more involving.

Difference 4: More Instances
Many newly added instances will solve the problem of powerful guilds monopolizing the instances. Many precious and useful items can be obtained in these new instances, and most of the players will have the chance to obtain them. The differences between rich and poor, low-level and high-level will become less important.

Generally speaking, much of the original content of the game hasn’t been changed instead some new elements such as new professions, new skills, new items, new instances, and new maps have been added. In addition, the game-play environment has had many aspects improved.

The new adventure is waiting for you to explore.

Lord of the Rings Online: Welcome Back Week

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The guys at Codemasters have announced a ‘welcome back week’ for their game Lords Of The Ring Online. Here’s the official announcement:

From 2nd February until 9th February, 2009 we’re inviting all players to come back and play LOTRO. The doors will be open for former players to enter the world of Middle-earth for a week of FREE game play.

If you’ve got a friend who used to play LOTRO and hasn’t logged in for a while then why not let them know about this great week too? Then everyone can take part!

All you have to do is download and patch up to the most recent version and log in starting 2nd February. Your account will already and will have been re-activated ready for you. If you do not wish to take part don’t worry, there’s no need to do anything, we will automatically re-close all Welcome Back Week accounts at the end of the promotion.

Recent LOTRO Game Updates & Enhancements:
An awful lot of great new content has been added since launch including huge new zones, new classes, hobbies, player housing, new raids, the bartering and reputation system, Critter Play, Legendary play and much, much more! To read the full list of all the additions and improvements, please visit our Patch Overview page.

Save Middle-earth and Win!
During the LOTRO welcome back week, many monsters throughout Middle-earth will drop rare items when defeated. Exchange these rare items for a special gift box that will reward you with a variety of in-game items to aid you in your adventures in Middle-earth.

Events
Keep an eye out for the following characters during this Welcome Back Week. Show off your musical skills to the Great Musician and you may be rewarded. Have a go at the Great Fishing Contest and of course the Fashion Maven will return to cast their discerning eye over your outfits.

Splash Fighters International Interview: Real Tournaments Great Fun

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Questions by Ben Lamb, Onrpg writer

Answered by Hiroaki Ikeda, from Splash Fighters International

Hello avid readers! This month I have had the exceptional pleasure of chatting with Hiroaki Ikeda from the SplashFighters team. For any of you who have been living under a rock for the past few years, SplashFighters is one of the hottest action MMOs around, featuring real-time 8-player brawls with weekly updates and fully customisable player skins. With a huge fanbase in many eastern territories, it’s finally headed for the great US, and I was lucky enough to catch up with Mr Ikeda to pick his brains about his great takeover of America.

Onrpg: Hi Hiroaki, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. I guess I’ll start with your own experiences. What inspired you to make this style of game? What games would you say were your inspirations?

Hiroaki Ikeda: Well we all grew up in the generation of NES (the original Nintendo Entertainment System), and we wanted to create something real-time and also something interactive. We took NES, added the internet, and the result was what we call the “Action-Fighting Online” game.

Onrpg: SplashFighters is certainly a fairly unique game. Would you say it is just a blend of different ideas, or are there particular areas where you feel you have innovated into new territory?

Ikeda: We wanted to develop something new. Games, either online or consumer, allow you to do something you can’t usually do in real life, such as fighting with others. In addition, the internet was just starting to spread when this game was in development, so it is a blend of different ideas in that way.

Onrpg: Indeed. In fact the beat-em-up and MMO genres are not often associated at all. How difficult have you found it to bring these areas together?

Ikeda: Since that was a challenge that only a few people tried before, everything was difficult. However, as we mentioned above, we wanted to create something new and we tried our best to achieve it. The result of that is what we have now, SplashFighters.

Onrpg: Traditionally, mastering a fighting game meant learning complex combos. With a fairly limited basic move-set is there still room for this level of expertise?

Ikeda: In SplashFighters, one of the hardest things is learning combos; however, it is not enough to survive. Since the battles are usually held with multiple players, you also need some strategy to survive. In fact, this game is developed for many people to play, so combos are not as hard as most fighting games.

Onrpg: I’m sure a lot of our readers will be glad to hear that. As with many free-to-play games, you sell additional content through your website. Due to the strong PvP nature of a fighting game, is there not a danger that the players who cannot (or will not) pay for items, will simply be outmatched by those who pay for strong weapons?

Ikeda: Players who have paid for weapons don’t have an advantage, they just have more varieties of ways to enjoy SplashFighters. Your skills and the way you play are the important factors in this game, so non-billing users can still enjoy it a lot once they get used to the game.

Onrpg: And to help them get used to the game, you include a large amount of single-player content. What made you include this element in what is very much a multi-player game? Do you find many players take advantage of it?

Ikeda: One of the single-player sections is for players to practice. Sometimes, however, players don’t know how to practice, so players can follow the story, working out how to clear those stages. After finishing the story, players will know how to fight, and they’ll know the joy of SplashFighters.

Onrpg: SplashFighter’s twin sister (GetAmped) has a very large international following but many English speaking users have reported severely underpopulated servers. Is this a widely reported problem and are you taking steps to avoid it?

Ikeda: Usually online games get the highest population at the start of their service and slowly decrease over time. GetAmped tended to increase the population slowly. GetAmped is now running in more than 10 territories and some of them are still growing.

Onrpg: Unlike most online games, SplashFighters has fully customisable character skins. Is this something you find many players make use of.

Ikeda: The character skins is one of the functions we want all players to try. Character skins allow you to increase the ways you enjoy SplashFighers with the number of skins you have.

Onrpg: In addition to the release of new content, the SplashFighters team are constantly running events and tournaments. Do you find there is a large uptake of these events? Do you think they are important in maintaining the community?

Ikeda: Yes, we think having events is quite important. One of the important events for fighting games is the battle tournament. Players practice their skills in single-player content or multi-player battles, but some people want to prove their skills officially. That’s why we keep holding the battle tournament.

In 2007 and 2008, GetAmped held the world battle tournament (GetAmped World Festival(GWF) 2007 and 2008) to determine the best player in the world, and that is something that all players can challenge.

Onrpg: Sounds exciting! You also release new items and stages on a weekly basis. Do you think that you can keep up this pace of new content indefinitely? Is there not a worry of ‘sameness’ with this pace of releases?

Ikeda: It is actually a very hard thing to keep updating every week without this “sameness”, but we never give up on creating new things and satisfying players because we want to see the players enjoying what we create.

Onrpg: Here at Onrpg, we bring together players from many different fields of MMOs. Are there any other major games that members of the SplashFighters team like to play? Anywhere our members might bump into one of you?

Ikeda: An MMORPG we’re making named HolyBeast Online is coming soon. It’s now in the stage of closed beta, so we mostly spend all our time there. You can check our HBO website (http://www.holybeast.com) or wait for open beta to come and join us.

Onrpg: I’ll be sure to check it out. For now though, can you offer us a sneak peek at any of the new items, stages or events that you have in the pipeline?

Ikeda: Right now, we are preparing for a new item called “Lucky Draw”. In addition, we keep improving our game itself, website, and everything that relates to the players comfort.

Onrpg: Apart from these regular updates of items and stages, do you see yourself ever branching out further or do you think that the core of the game will always stay with this winning formula?

Ikeda: Actually the core of the game will stay the same; however, we don’t want to let players feel too much “sameness”. We try everything we can to keep things fresh, and the players appreciate all the new things we bring to the game over time. This is the biggest reason why GetAmped is the one of the longest running online games in the world (since 2002).

Onrpg: Finally, what would you say to all those people out there who have never played a game like this and are now thinking of trying SplashFighters?

Ikeda: Maybe you feel some fear because the other people are already well trained, but there are Game Masters who can guide you and there are also many friendly players who can help you and play with you. There are so many ways to play this game, and there’s definitely a way to satisfy you!

Onrpg: Thank you very much for your time Mr Ikeda.

Well there you have it! For those of you previously unfamiliar with SplashFighters, I hope this has piqued your interest and I look forward to kicking all of your arses in this year’s international battle tourney!

Secret Of Solstice: New server!

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Outspark is proud to announce the opening of the second Solstice server, which will offer all players a brand new place to start their adventure. The new server will be named Marian, after the twin sister of our heroine, Adeline. With the launch of the second server we want to welcome even more users to the growing Solstice family! The Marian server will be available to both new adventurers and old heroes looking for a fresh start beginning January 22, 2009, 4 PM PST.

Do you have what it takes to be the first player on this new server to hit the level cap? Do you want to be one of the first brave adventurers to set out across the continent of Xen? Get ready! To celebrate the launch of the new server, we will be giving away free Experience Boost Book that will last a full day! Players who create a character on the new server will be able to receive the special gift from the Solstice Trainer.

There will also be item sales that will help you in your adventurers. Players looking for an edge will have the option to obtain all sizes of health and mana potions, elixirs and kits from the Solstice Store. Those items will be on sale for 10% from January 22 until February 2. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience Secret of the Solstice in a way few other players will.

Plain Sight

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In Plain Sight your have to blow yourself up. No, it’s not a myserious game with an underlying message: it’s fun and simple-looking and extremely innovative.

Plain Sight is a 3D arcade game with robots, bombs, swords and messed up physics. You jump around and defeat opponents, upon which you blow yourself up and whoever gets killed in the blast adds to your banked points.