Monthly Archives: April 2010

Tales of Pirates II

Tales of Pirates II is the sequel to IGG’s classic Tales of Pirates, their hit anime style MMO that sets fun loving characters in a realistic 3D environment packed with entertaining action and adventure.

Tales of Pirate II created a world where technological advancement and magic mastery determine its superiority at sea. It is the task of every pirate to make the sea a source of great fortune, while spreading their names in the vast body of water. Team work will certainly be important, and no one wants to be handicapped with a short-staffed ship. Every player will have 4 four characters to choose from, along with 6 different profession that will make them a unique part of their team.

Features:

Mazes: Every pirate has a soft spot for shiny objects, most of all shiny golden things. In Tales of Pirate II treasure hunting will be emphasized much more than in the original, and will be something every pirate can look forward to, though it won’t be easy. The infamous Mazes will be open at certain hours of the day, depending on their locations – waiting to lure players in with the promise of treasure and wealth. Once inside, players will hunt for treasure, while keeping an eye on the clock. The mazes are time-limited and there are a myriad of challenges and monsters awaiting pirates once they are deep inside.

PvP Arena:
PvP has long been one of the features of the players enjoyed the most in the first Tales of Pirates. The new arena takes this passion for PvP and gives it a place to grow and develop. This is a place for players to come alone and prove their skills mano a mano, or to bring their teammates for a full on royal rumble of epic proportions – not to mention the promise of enticing rewards. For those players who consider themselves more lover than fighter, they can watch from the stands and cheer on guild mates and friends.

Sea Battles: For pirate’s, the sea is a cruel mistress – at once a place of exploration, and exciting possibilities, as well as a place of great danger and trepidation. The updated Sea Battle System will feature a new place where pirates can wage large scale battles – whether its over a territorial dispute or simply a contest of honor and courage.

Rear Fairies: Fairies are players’ constant companions, assisting them in battle and keeping them company on long journeys. The Tales of Pirates II will introduce a unique new pet, the Rear Fairy. Rear Fairies follow along behind their master just like other fairies, but they are able to directly grant users a certain amount of bonus attack or defense, or reduce their opponent’s defense. It is the one pet that no players will want to miss out on.

Korea Will Impose Ban on Uninterupted Gaming

Korea Will Impose Ban on Uninterupted Gaming

 

The Korea Herald has reported that the Korean government is working on a law that it hopes will “eradicate video game addiction among teenagers”.

The policy introduces a system that slows down and eventually even shuts off the internet connection of underaged gamers to remove their access to online games.

Although we are still waiting for the full list of MMO’s that will be affected by this it is interesting to note that the Korean government has indicated that the titles cover about 79% of the domestic online game market.

Remarkable is that Lineage does not fall under the policy, other popular games such as Maple Story, Mabinogi, Dungeon & Fighter and Dragon Nest.

This policy is a direct answer to some of the recent media hyped gaming addiction related deaths of gamers and in one sad case even the death of an infant.

Source: The Korean Herald

Korea Will Impose Ban on Uninterupted Gaming - May lead to empty internet cafes

Erebus: Travia Reborn begins Closed Beta 2 on April 14

Erebus: Travia Reborn begins Closed Beta 2 on April 14

 
Get ready for the return of Chaos, because Outspark’s new free-to-play MMO Action-RPG, Erebus: Travia Reborn, begins its Closed Beta 2 phase on Wednesday, April 14 at 3pm (PDT)!
 

Get your Closed Beta Keys right here at OnRPG!

Erebus Event Closed Beta Keys
 
 
Erebus is an isometric, action-packed MMORPG similar to classic PC Action-RPG titles. Players create their character using one of four starting classes, and unlock one of 18 specialized Master Classes as they level up. During their time in the game, players can battle the evil minions of Erebus — the god of Chaos — or challenge their fellow players with a variety of PvP options. Outspark finished the first phase of Closed Beta testing for the title in March.
 

Erebus Mage Surrounded Mobs Enemies Fight Travia Reborn

 
“The first Closed Beta was a big success,” said Ben Berens, the Associate Producer of Erebus. “We kept it mostly in the Outspark community, but we still had thousands of people sign up to play, and the feedback they provided was invaluable. I think people who participated in the first beta are really going to like the changes we made and the new features being added for Closed Beta 2.”
 
Much of the feedback given by participants in the first Closed Beta will be utilized in Closed Beta 2. More quests will be present throughout the earlier levels, the leveling curve has been adjusted, the skill system has been altered to be more accessible to players, and a new tutorial has been implemented. The biggest addition for Closed Beta 2, though, is the inclusion of Guild vs. Guild warfare.
 

Erebus Fire Mage Special Move Combat Travia Reborn

 
Other features being added to Erebus for the Beta include: 
– An increase of the level cap (to level 50)
– Dueling System
– 3 new PvP maps (Guild Warfare, the Dueling Map, and the Arena)
– 3 new instance dungeons
– Dozens of new monsters, including elite and special types
– And much more!
To learn more about Erebus and to sign up for your spot in the Closed Beta, visit the official Erebus site.

Erebus Archer Combat Move Dungeon

Project Powder Review: Be Like a Pro

Project Powder Review: Be Like a Pro
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

One of the best things in today’s games is that you can become whoever you want to be. If you can’t play real guitars yet you itch to be a musician just for a few minutes you have rhythm games such as Guitar Hero or Rock Band. Sports are no exception. You have online basketball, baseball and even soccer games out on the market. Now there’s Project Powder.

 

Be a Pro even if you’re scared

Project Powder is an Online snowboard MMO from Outspark. The game puts you in the boots of four snowboarders that are out to prove themselves in various challenges set in different maps that you have you racing and doing as many tricks as you can.

 

Nothing else but the next race

Like most sports games, Project Powder is a racing game that really has a flimsy storyline. However, games like these really don’t  have to concern themselves as much in this area because it’s always about the next race. Project Powder is all about the tricks, the challenges, the race and the looks. You  really don’t bother or even care about anything but those three things, the game practically sucks you in once you start playing.

 

Characters

Project Powder’s default characters do not have special skills or any advantages on one area over the other in terms of skill or stats. It’s all about who you think looks cool. There is no in-depth customization in Project Powder and the only thing you can change is your board and the clothes your character wears.

 

 

Project Powder Clothes
Clothes Make the Man

 

The lack of player customization is usually a problem in MMOs, however that’s an exception for sports-themed MMOs such as Project Powder. You wouldn’t really bother with the customizations except to look better than the other guy or girl.

 

Clothes and accessories

The clothes you wear in Project Powder serve you in two ways. One is to make you look good, and the other to boost your stats. This is the usual procedure in any sports MMO and is an expected system in Project Powder. To start you have a limited number of choices in terms of the clothes you character can wear in the game. However, they are still enough to let you mix and match and create a cute or cool character of your own. There are also accessories that you can equip your character with. However, there are only two accessory choices at the moment so I do not think that they offer anything good fashion wise.

 

Buy Items Project Powder
Project Powder Discount Store

 

Boards

Project Powder tries to incorporate the whole boarder concept even in the tiniest details. It does this by bringing in a board shop where you can buy your character a new board. The boards not only look good they also offer  different stat bonuses that help in the various maps you race in. However, at the moment the choices you have are limited. You get to only choose from about five different boards as of this writing and that wouldn’t be really suitable for those who want variety in their board choices.

 

Project Powder Boards
Snowboard Shop

 

Time Limit

The items you purchase in the shops in Project Powder are time locked. This wouldn’t really bode well if you’re the type who wants something permanent on your character. However, the time-lock is understandable in the distributor’s point of view. It is kind of a pain to keep on checking on your characters clothes, accessories and boards, the only solution for that is go for the four weeks options, though they  can really hurt your pockets.

 

Game Balance

What I liked about Project Powder is that it’s a balanced game. The things you buy from the shop do have stat bonuses but it doesn’t really matter in actual races. There are times that even starting characters get to plow the more dressed up players just because he or she has the skills. As of now, with the items still limited, Project Powder is a skill-based game. It’s all about how you take the tracks and how you handle your opponents rather than who has the most expensive clothes and boards.

 

The game balance keeps the game enjoyable for new players and prevents veterans from slacking off. This setup is good for a very competitive gaming experience in the sense that players can grow in every race they play.

 

Project Powder Snow Map

 

Maps

The maps in Project Powder are varied. There’s a ranking system where certain maps are inaccessible for lower leveled characters, which I find suitable so that players have a “goal” in racing other than being the champion. As you’d expect, majority of the maps in Project Powder are in heavily snowy areas. However, they did add one map where it’s sand, and not snow that you race on. I find this addition a good move because it really gets boring if you just keep on playing on stages full on snow. I liked the varying challenges each map presents  in Project Powder, there are maps where you love to play in one race type and you would hate to play in another. The varying challenges keep you on your toes which adds to the overall fun factor of the game.

 

Replayability

In terms of re-playability, I can say that Project Powder does have a decent ground to keep you coming back. One reason is that aside from getting to make your characters look good, the game has a trick license system where you have to reach certain levels to unlock a board trick. You don’t get all the tricks at the get go and that’s just fine in my book.

 

 Project Powder Trick
Trick Sheet

 

Another reason is that, as I’ve mentioned, there is a lot of room for a player in Project Powder to improve and grow. The game encourages you to try out everything it has and with that you keep on playing the game. You cannot just breeze through Project Powder in one sitting and say you’re satisfied. You keep on playing just to see what else you can do. Project Powder has a lot of little quirks too that make it a game you’d like to keep on playing. You can horse around in the waiting room while waiting for the last person to join in the game. It’s the little things mixed with the overall game system that makes you keep on playing for hours on end.

 

However

In as much as I like Project Powder, there are some things that I really find problematic for the game. The first thing would be the player population of the game, and the other would be the difficulty of leveling. For a sports game that thrives on people, Project Powder has a lack of anyone playing. As I venture in the various channels there’s only about one to three games going on and if you’re someone who wants to challenge everyone and anyone then you’d find yourself wanting for a bigger population.

 

 

Versus Snowboarding Project Powder
Racing against other players

 

Meanwhile, leveling in Project Powder can really be such a chore, even at the lower levels you’d find that you’d have to go through numerous races just to level up, even if you finish first in every race you participate in.

 

Conclusion

Project Powder is a good racing game. Even with the problems I mentioned, it is as a whole a decent game to keep on playing. The game has a lot to offer and it would be nice to see what they throw at the players in the months ahead. The game practically plays like a console snowboarding game and even if the choices of clothes and boards were limited the constant updates would ensure you’re in for more.

 

Pros:
Plays like a console snowboarding game
– B
alanced
The game encourages you to keep on playing.

 

Cons:
Hard to level
– Limited choices in terms of clothes, accessories and boards
Not enough player population.

Tales of Fantasy: New Instances in Closed Beta

Tales of Fantasy: New Instances in Closed Beta

 Tales of Fantasy will commence its Closed Beta this Wednesday and one of the highlights is the introduction of the mysterious new instances.
 
Gathering Instance
When it comes to raw materials for making high level equipment and weapons, there is no better source than the Shen’Nong Forest instance. The minimum level requirement for this instance is Level 35, and all the high level raw materials you’ll need to create fantastic equipment can be gathered in this instance alone. However, watch out for the BOSS and his various underlings, who are hell-bent on spoiling all the fun!  The key here is to avoid getting into fights, and gather as much as possible before time runs out!
 
Tales of Fantasy Honor Players Boss
Boss Fight in Tales of Fantasy
 
 
PK Instance
Players who are Level 30+ will qualify for the Arena – this is where you can PK as much as you like!  Players can participate as a single person, or as a team. Simply sign up with the Arena NPC in the main cities, and the system will then automatically assign all participants into matchups. Players who win in the Arena will receive special titles, and have their names listed on the Arena rankings! The titles awarded offer a resistance to damage – the higher the rank, the better!
 
Defense Instance
The Dimensional Gate instance is a good chance to engage in teamwork with other players, utilizing the various strengths of the different classes to defend against wave after wave of monsters.
This instance is available to all players Level 30+. The main objective of the instance is to defend the Life Stone from destruction – by holding off 30 waves of monsters! Completing this instance rewards player with Centrifugal Stones, which can be used to exchange for Soul Crystals.
 
Tales of Fantasy Closed Beta Player Totem
Player and a magical Totem
 
 
Heroes’ Instance
The Lone Knight instance is available to all players who’ve reached Level 40+. The essence of which is exactly as name suggests – be the hero and save the day by defeating stage after stage of monsters and bosses! There are a total of 5 stages which must be cleared in order – simply complete all 5 to pass the challenge! 
 
For all the latest news and information on Tales of Fantasy, please visit the official website.
Tales of Fantasy Mounted Combat Closed Beta

Berserk Online

Berserk Online is a Free to Play Online trading card game based on an extremely popular Russian collectible card game. Players in Berserk Online can challenge each other using their own deck of cards. Each card is a creature with its unique abilities and features and there are more than 350 cards available in the game.
Berserk Online can be described an high strategy game, given its mix of classical trading card games gameplay and its unique board games elements which make the game even more strategical. The world in Berserk Online is divided into two Realms: Light and Darkness. Each player entering into Laar should decide which side to serve and protect.
 
Realm versus Realm wars: Berserk Online is the only Online TCG which features RvR wars: choose your side and fight for it!
Choose your own strategy: Berserk Online combines the richness of a trading card game with the strategic focus of a board game, in facts before starting a game you’ll have to place your cards on a board where you can face your opponents and look for the best strategy to defeat him.
Gain ounces and additional cards: Berserk Online features every months many different events and tournaments that will allow you to win rare cards or free ounces that you can then spend in the shop
Win new cards through quests: The newly introduced quests will allow you to win new cards, including extremely rare ones!
Free to play: Berserk Online is completely free to play, you can access every feature and join every battle completely for free.
Join and existing Clan: There many different Clans inside Berserk Online, join one and fight along your mates and make sure that your Clan can climb the ranking.

Conquer Online Spring Shopping Rush

The new expansion Legends Return is about to be released in Conquer Online at the end of April. The Shadow of Darkness is looming over Twin City as the demon stirs in his slumber. On the eve of this legendary clash, the TQ team will provide CO’s adventurers a chance to reinforce their characters and arsenals.

 

 

Conquer Online - Sping Shopping Rush

The Spring Shopping Rush will begin at 18:00, Apr 12, and last until 18:00, Apr 19 PDT. During the sale, a Promotion Emissary will appear in Twin City, offering players various types of rare gear and items at a great discount. Apart from the always popular super equipment packs, this time you will be able to purchase superior Refinery Items and Permanent Stones to grant your gear mighty prowess! Last but no least, you can find 2 new garments to customize your characters.

Miracle Castle Reveals Upcoming MMORPG: Soul Order Online

Miracle Castle Reveals Upcoming MMORPG: Soul Order Online
 
Miracle Castle introduces their brand new Free-To-Play MMORPG: Soul Order Online! This is a Full 3D visual angle fantastic game with a small client around 600MB.
 
 
Game Features
– Full 3D visual angle, small client and very short downloading time.
– Good definition but low PC requirement, fancy graphics and shocking skill effects.
– A MMORPG with a fantastic background of ancient Oriental Legend.
– Fierce fights and free PvP between two opposite realms: Fairy Land and Demon Land.
– Five different class properties, various inherences, skills and different weapons will customize your character.
– Seeking for mysterious souljewels and these rainbow colored souljewels will help you to get powerful soultreasures.  Soultreasure of Fire, Thunder, Demon, Dragon, Lotus and Shadow, they are gorgeous and powerful.
– Kinds of neat and vigoroso Arrays for small team and even a group of hundred people.  A successful Array needs upstanding cooperative spirit and ability.
– Expedite auction is beyond realms and territories.
 
The official website for Soul Order Online will be launched this month and the game itself will come on stage around the end of April or the beginning of May. Miracle Castle will update more information and screenshots over the month, so keep a watchful eye on the latest news.