Yearly Archives: 2010

World of Warcraft launches updated Armory!

 

World of Warcraft launches updated Armory!
Blizzard has updated the World of Warcraft Armory and the most obvious new feature is the 3D character viewer that is now fully integrated into the Armory!

Armory Logo

 
Every character profile now has a 3D model viewer that displays the character in his or her currently equipped gear, and accurately displays the character’s physical features, hairstyle, and helm/cloak display as they appear in-game. Mousing over the character model window brings up a control panel with the following controls:

– Camera controls: To rotate the camera around a character, click and hold the left mouse button while moving the mouse left and right, or click the arrow buttons in the top left of the window. To zoom in and out, use the mouse wheel while hovering over the character window, or click the zoom buttons in the top left of the window. To move the character within the frame, right-click and drag the character in the window (or on the small square in the bottom left corner of the window).
– Animations: Each character has a selection of animations that they can perform. Use the arrows next to the animation’s name to cycle through them. The available animations are determined by the character’s class and currently equipped weapons.
– Capture pose: If you are logged in, you can set the default pose of any character on your account. Use the camera and animation controls to create a pose, then click the save icon to set it as the default. All visitors to the character’s profile will then see the character in that pose.
– Play controls: The rewind, pause, and fast forward buttons allow you to fine-tune a pose for a character.
– Fullscreen mode: You can view the character in a fullscreen display against a selection of backgrounds. All controls will continue to function in fullscreen mode.
– Embed: You can embed a standalone, interactive version of the character’s model viewer in a compatible website, such as a social networking site, guild website, or forum.
– Options: Extra options include selecting a background in fullscreen mode and toggling the display of a character’s helm, cloak, or tabard.

Other exciting new features are the ability to follow the RSS feed of a characters development via the “Character Feed” option.

WoW Armory - Character feed recent activity

The European version of the Armory will soon be updated as well!

New Armory went live

Samurai of Legend Review: So you have a stick….

Samurai of Legend Review: So you have a stick….
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

Usually Samurai’s are people who were trained since they were kids to wield a Katana and fight for what they think is the most important thing in their lives. In Samurai of Legend you are a once fearful peasant in a town that is being ravaged by thieves and the Yakuza. You are fed up with this kind of life so you take up arms and train yourself to become the lone hero that would defeat crime and evil using your acquired skill.

 

Your life, Your Quest

As part of your overall training in the ways of the blade. The game provides you three days of peaceful existence that is called as “gym days”, the gym days serves as the game’s newbie help as you would not be attacked within the span. The protection the game provides sets you up nicely into the whole world of Samurai of Legend. This three days protection is enough for you to learn the ropes so that your character can be of any use to you.

 

The Different Paths of the Samurai

Samurai of Legend allows you to have free will on how you manage your samurai. You can either become the Moral Samurai of Legend as you should be or become part of the dark side and be one of the primary criminals the land has in spades. As the game puts it, “there is no such thing as a pure samurai”. The option of becoming a criminal is a nice addition to the whole game because it gives you the control on how you want your samurai. The multiple paths you can take gives the game more color because you are not locked on the samurai cliché of honor and all those things.

 

Samurai Activities

Various Samurai Activities

 

 

Do I look good?

However, with the amount of substance the game has, there is a seemingly huge absence of any visual eye candy that you would normally see on other games. The only samurai image you get to see in the whole Samurai of Legend experience is the half-naked buff samurai on the home page and the small images you see in the whole interface.

 

The game relies heavily on its story-telling element. Do not be fooled though, the narratives you find in the game are quirky and you should not really expect a seamless story-action system. The game is more of a fun quirky look in the whole samurai culture and you controlling the reigns on your katana-wielding sissy turned tough guy.

 

Gamplay… Swish!

Samurai of Legend’s gameplay is anchored heavily on the stats and random events your character faces in its adventure. Your character grows through the different trainings you put it through. Your samurai has all the basic stats such as strength, agility, guard and labor. As in most gameplays that rely on stats, your style of gameplay is directly proportional to the stat growth of your character.

 

Samurai Training

Further Samurai Training Lessons

 

Energy, brave and whatnot

Samurai of Legend has a unique action system that is exclusive to the game. Usually when a character acts in a browser game, there are specific points that determine the amount of actions you can do. The thing is that, everything from training to acting in exploration are linked to only one action point system, whereas in Samurai of Legend you have two.

 

The two action point systems Samurai of Legend has is the Energy and Bravery. Energy determines how many times you can go train in the gym and attack meanwhile bravery is the action point that is used whenever you want to do a crime. The good thing about having two separate action systems is that you can do more while you are logged into the game. The offside of this is that maybe you want your character to be clean and would not want to delve into crime that could land you in jail.

 

School is not for wimps

Samurai of Legend has a school system included into the game. Schools (like in real life) serve as your Samurai’s training ground on the necessities in life. If your samurai is enrolled into a school, your samurai grows gradually. The thing about schools is that the tuition can be quite hefty especially in later levels. Also school training takes time however they are worth it once you get to finish a training course.

 

Jobs R us

Of course, being a Samurai is not really a lucrative job when you are just starting, you do not have enough skills or even daring to be able to beat most guys therefore the alternative for you to earn that cold hard cash you need to enhance yourself you can do jobs. Jobs serve as an alternative income earner that can provide the starting help you would need as you establish yourself in the game.

 

Conclusion

Samurai of Legend is a game that has a lot to offer players. However it does have its shortcomings such as the lack of images even on the simplest of things. Samurai of Legends has in fact the least amount of images I’ve seen in a browser based game. However the lack of imagery is just a minor speck of dirt if you would look at the game in its entirety. The game has a lot of features that offers you enough encouragement and gusto so that you would come back again and again. For a game that is based heavily on narratives it is quite a feat. The amount of players also subscribed to the game is a sign that the game is doing something people like. If you are looking for a browser game that smells of samurai essence with a splash of the quirkiness then Samurai of Legend is the browser game just for you

 

Pros:
– The game is easy to pick up and play
– The interface is bright and easy on the eyes
– The game informs you of things you’ve missed.

 

Cons:
– There is a lack of imagery in the whole interface
– The text fonts are a little small and you would either need to squint or come near the monitor to read it properly
– Some buttons do not show when you play the game on different browsers. 

Kung Fu (and Foo!) Madness on OnRPG

Kung Fu (and Foo!) Madness on OnRPG

 

 

Kung Fu Madness - Because OnRPG needed an excuse to post this Kung Fu Kitty Picture!

 

Kung Fu (and Foo!) has taken OnRPG by storm with three Kung Fu/Foo give-aways at the same time!
 
Kung Foo! Closed Beta Key Give-Away
OnRPG is working with Perfect World International to give away Closed Beta Keys for the hilariously funny Kung Foo!

Kung Foo! Closed Beta Key Give-Away

 

Kung Foo! is the ultimate martial arts mash-up mastered by sand ninjas worldwide. Start your journey toward mastery in Panda Province, where you’ll unite troubled realms, save a beautiful princess and escort fluffy bunnies to the great beyond. Whether you’re tanking, healing, casting, or stabbing, Foo is free and there’s enough for everyone.

Get your Kung Foo! closed beta key right here on OnRPG!

 

 

World of Kung Fu Gift Pack Give-Away
OnRPG is working with Vestgame to give away 500 Gift Packages for World of Kung Fu!.

 

World of Kung Fu Gift Pack Give-Away

 

The World of Kung Fu is a Free to Play 3D MMORPG for the PC. Based on traditional Chinese culture, the game takes place in a mythical land founded on the ancient Kung Fu moral values of justice and heroism.

Get your World of Kung Fu Gift Pack right here on OnRPG!

 

 

Heroes of Kung Fu Newbie Pack Give-Away
nRPG is working with Webmmo to give away Newbie Packs for Heroes of Kung Fu.

 

Heroes of Kung Fu Newbie Pack Give-Away

 

Heroes of Kung Fu is a browser based RPG set in Ancient China where kingdoms are constantly at war. Your role is a warrior coming from modern times to the ancient times to help your own country stand against invaders.

Get your Heroes of Kung Fu Newbie Pack right here on OnRPG!

 
This is MADNESS! Kung Fu MADNESS!

Mabinogi Update Allows Players to Seamlessly Settle into Fantasy Life

Mabinogi Update Allows Players to Seamlessly Settle into Fantasy Life

 

Nexon America’s newest update to its fantasy MMORPG, Mabinogi, re-introduces a revamped Advent of the Goddess storyline, which improves the new player experience and enables players to progress quickly and seamlessly through the story and settle into their fantasy life quicker. 

While the update improves new player experience, current players are also encouraged to check out the improved storyline and see what’s different and new.  The renewed Advent of the Goddess storyline will introduce new players to characters such as Ruairi, Tarlach, and Mari, and give them an opportunity to battle evil armies and reveal hidden truths about Tir Na Nog.   Existing users can take this time to revisit the NPCs of this storyline and experience it once more with ease and re-discover things they might have long forgotten.

Additionally, all players will be able to participate in the “Make-A-Wish” event that will allow them to send their wishes up to the heavens.  This visually enjoyable event will be lighting up the skies of the Qilla Base Camp every night at midnight for two weeks.


Mabinogi - Make a Wish Tree

Wurm Online Review: Most Impressive Community

Wurm Online Review: Most Impressive Community
By Rick Charbs (Jammart), OnRPG Journalist

 

Wurm Online is an outstanding MMORPG developed by OneTooFree AB, a game development company formerly known as Mojang Specifications based in Sweden, and it could be otherwise known as Runescape on steroids. Carrying such a downright odd named title, this MMORPG stands out. Almost completely developed on a voluntary basis, the various techniques used to create this game seem to have worked seemingly well-people love this game. It is certainly available for free, although you will not be able to accomplish a majority of this game’s content without paying for the premium version. Typical? Of course!

 

However, this game still holds a very tight-knit community (mostly premium members, at that), and everyone I have had the chance to meet in this game was generally kind and helpful. For once, I have located some maturity in a semi-free to play MMORPG.

 

Peaceful Mountain Wurm Online

Peaceful Mountain in Wurm Online

 

General Gameplay

I will not go into many details with the whole combat system of the game, mostly because there are none to spare in the first place. Basically, you watch your character slowly lug at your opponent with a repeated animation, and collect your loot. Set in the Dark Ages, weapons and even monsters, respectively, have a certain medieval and fantasy allure to them. Adventurers begin by fighting off plagued rats with basic swords and as they advance, challenge various large feline beasts and other interesting creatures with golden weapons.

 

PvE combat may be a little dull in this game, but this dullness pays off when you have to get out of nasty quarrels with enemy towns and kingdoms. Sometimes, one can find themselves running alone in a forest only to encounter an enemy hideout. Hence, travelling in groups is recommended and can prove very useful when running into similar situations. Fighting with other players in this game is very fun, I must admit. As players have complete control over the realm (I will get into this shortly), the terrain is ever-changing and everyone must learn to adapt to this change in order to succeed and conquer the enemy kingdoms. Due to this, players work hard to make sure their claimed territory remains theirs, and in lieu of this, construct many fortresses and the like.

 

Lava Spider Wurm Online

Lava Spider

 

Players level up on a skill basis, and are not limited to a certain character class. As such, there is no limit to what a character can do within the game world. This system is much like Runescape, as I previously compared. Skills ranging from cooking to weapon craft are available for training, as well as the basic combat skills. This means you can fulfill many roles in your team, and switch your gameplay at will (you can be a healer one day and a warrior the next… maybe even a combination).

 

Now, on to the most important and most refined aspect of this MMORPG-this is what makes this MMORPG so great: terrain manipulation. What this means is that players have free control over the surface on this MMORPG, as well as what is built upon it. The staff members at OneTooFree AB has provided various tiles and trees to start the game off, but from then on, the players have been in charge of developing cities, bridges, and marketplaces alike. This is what makes the game so unpredictable and so realistic. You never know what could be going on at your rival kingdom’s base, and the only way to find out is to gather a team to go and explore yourself. Players even have control over the terrain underground, in mines for example. The more players mine in a certain mountain, the more it will grow into a gigantic source of minerals underneath the rock… and eventually make up a vast amount of ground. Unfortunately, I found this building system to be rather difficult to start using, but I have been informed that the techniques come naturally, and that one can learn the basics pretty easily. A similar system can be reviewed in the items of the game. Almost everything players make use of in-game (weapons, armor, tools) is player-made. Talk about an immersive MMORPG!

 

Graphics and Sound

For a game developed in Java, the graphics of Wurm Online just have to be appreciated to a certain extent. I am not one to really prioritize graphics before gameplay, but even so I did not mind the sub par graphics Wurm Online had to offer. They are definitely not amazing, but they are not bad either. There are tons of environments, items, NPCS, and buildings-it is very impressive. One huge setback I had found was the lack of animations in the game. The sounds are pretty decent as well. They do a great job putting you into the context of the game. No real complains here.

 

Wurm Online Cyclops

A Cyclops in Wurm Online

 

Personal Recommendation

From the wise words of OneTooFree AB, ”Wurm is a complicated, wonderful world, where you can live simply or become a true master of your destiny.” Despite having an iffy learning curve, and a few complex elements, Wurm Online allows its players to completely control the environment they play in. Can it really get any better?

 

Champion Black Bear

Champion Black Bear in Wurm Online

 

I absolutely loved how players had complete control over the game world. I even encountered a little bit of roleplay along the way. I do believe I am too much of a casual gamer for this particular MMORPG, but for those who really want to immerse themselves in a game, this is it.

 

I was partly disappointed in the lack of animations and dull PvE combat, but overall I really had fun, even if the community is rather small. The game experience is even more worthwhile if you pay 5 Euros (approx 7 USD) a month for their premium service. If you can see past their graphical technicalities and really enjoy strong gameplay, try this MMORPG! Happy gaming!

 

Pros:
-Tight-knit community that is very helpful
-Kingdom wars
-Players have complete control over the game’s landscape and buildings
-Almost every item is player-made
-Very immersive MMORPG
-TONS of features and skills

 

Cons:
-Mediocre graphics/sound and lack of animations
-You have to pay to play without limitations
-Dull PvE combat

Allods Online Europe sails into the next Beta Stage!

Gala Networks Europe are proud to announce details of the third phase of testing for Allods Online.

From Wednesday afternoon, servers will reopen with a new level cap of 34. (the level before the Astral Ships quest chain becomes available). Gala Networks are then doing stress testing of their servers with a series of in-game events going under the name of “Slaughter Week” from January 18th.

All players who have currently pre-registered for the beta will be accepted into the CBT, and for a limited period, everyone who registers at the Allods Europe website will be granted access to the remainder of beta testing! From January 23rd, beta keys will become a requirement for all new players again.

The Closed Beta Keys we had for our loyal OnRPG readers went like hot buns so if you were too late to grab one of those make sure to grab this opportunity to get into Allods early!

 

 

Perfect World Announces the Introduction of New 3D Fantasy MMORPG “Forsaken World”

Perfect World Announces the Introduction of New 3D Fantasy MMORPG “Forsaken World”

 

Perfect World Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: PWRD) (“Perfect World” or the “Company”), a leading online game developer and operator based in China, today announces the introduction of a new 3D fantasy MMORPG, “Forsaken World,” which was developed under “Project EM” (“PEM”).
 
Developed by Perfect World, “Forsaken World” breaks new ground in terms of overall planning, programming and graphical designs. The game has blended the best of the western and eastern cultures with an aim to bring an entirely new interactive entertainment experience to players. Since April 2009, the Company’s new product developed under PEM has aroused the interest in the online game industry.
 

Project Empire Becomes Forsaken World

 
 
In “Forsaken World,” a fantasy world called “Grand Mundo” is created. The game features exciting elements such as “Rule of Time,” “Rule of Space,” “Magic” and “Divinity.” The players can try to alter the fate of “Grand Mundo” with their respective actions in the game. “Forsaken World” adopts a system of annalistic history, and allows players to change core contents such as the Epoch, the orbiting of constellations and the birth of deities. The game is expected to be launched in 2010.
 
Mr. Michael Chi, Chairman and CEO of Perfect World, commented, ” ‘Forsaken World’ will be one of the major titles by Perfect World for 2010. It contains many new designs, and uniquely blends the cultures of different regions in the game. We integrate many western features in the game play in order to make it more appealing to international players. We believe ‘Forsaken World’ will bring a new and exciting gaming experience to players around the world.”
 

Magic Character in Forsaken World

 

Maple Story to Introduce Ancient Pyramids and Urban Subway

Maple Story to Introduce Ancient Pyramids and Urban Subway

 

Nexon America’s newest update for its MMORPG, MapleStory, will introduce “Nett’s Pyramid” and “Abandoned Subway” party quest areas for players to enjoy and explore.
 
The update draws MapleStory players into an ancient Egyptian-themed land with pyramids, hieroglyphics and fiendish monsters.  Players can also jump into the urban Subway area where uncouth beasts bombard those brave enough to venture into the underground map.

Subway Area

 

Great for hunting and leveling, the soon to be introduced Pyramid and Subway areas will allow mid-level users to experience the “Monster Survival” feature.  Additionally, bonus maps, medals and buffs await those who manage to successfully clear all stages. 


Nett's Pyramyd

Azuga: Age of Chaos

Auzga: Age of Chaos is a free fantasy MMORPG that carries you into an alternate past mixing martial arts, magic, and robotics. Set in Asia, you are charged with helping restore the world to order while rising to legendary status. Azuga offers players a wide variety of things to do. You can mine, hunt, make thousands of different items with different materials, duel, build guilds, form raid groups to fight over castles, embark on assassination quests, raise pets, fight bosses in team instances, and discover ancient secrets.
The fighting styles in Azuga are based on martial arts and the weapon the player is using. Since Azuga is not class based, it allows the players the freedom to switch tactics and fighting styles based on their weapons to meet whatever challenges they face; whether its fighting monsters or other players. To aid the users, there are literally thousands of items available to the players. Each item offers its own unique graphics and special effect. Weapons and armor are customizable allowing simple enhancements as well as more complex customizations such as building robotic guardians and equipping them or combining weapons to forge something completely new.