Monthly Archives: September 2008

Wizard 101 Preview

By Joshua Temblett

When I first started downloading Wizard 101, I was very excited. Wizard 101 seemed to be brimming with style and charm as this MMORPG looked very different from all of the other titles on the market. Admittedly though, I was also very scared as when I first signed up for the beta I really didn’t know what to expect. No screenshots or video footage were around at the time, and I feared for the worse that Wizard 101 would just be a bland point and click game, with bad controls uninspiring gameplay and with the school life being a total grind. This turned out to be not the case at all.

When I first entered the fantastic world of Wizard 101 I was surprised. The world was filled with colour and was incredibly appealing. I was also greeted with some very user-friendly keyboard controls and a wonderful music score to boot. Not only was the world beautifully coloured, but the world of Wizard 101 was easy to jump into, with a very fast download time for the game as the rest of the data (such as better textures etc) was downloaded in the background as I began to play. This MMO had already ticked one box and that box was that this game was easily accessible.

A host of cute animals welcomed me into their universe, each one with its own very special personality, who taught me the ropes of the game, during which I got to see the battle system. One of the bright, cuddly critters pointed me to a tower whereby I would have my first fight. “This is it; it’s time to find out if this game lives up to expectations set before it or indeed falls flat on them”, I thought to myself. I slowly opened the door to the tower, I was worried at this point as to what would meet me and shake my hand on the other side. Would the battle system be a lacklustre and uncreative? Or would it be something different? I pushed the door ever so slightly…and peeked in. Inside I saw one lone wood like puppet. It stood there waiting for something. I was told to walk up towards it, so I did just that. I approached the doll, and then all of a sudden, a circle shone on the floor and my character ran into position in the room. My character was on one side of the dark quarters and the enemy on the other. Oh yes, this battle system is turned based, and my god is it a good battle system. You see not only is it turned based but the battle system is card based which means that you use spell cards picked up on your journey throughout your adventure to summon creatures or just use simple wand magic to defeat your foes, creating a “gotta catch them all” collection scenario.

It doesn’t stop there though as not only are the battles in Wizard 101 innovative and different for an MMO, they are unbelievably engaging and incredibly fun. I have never had this much fun in an online RPG before in my life for you see the fighting system is incredibly enjoyable to unspeakable extents and it also has a remarkable amount of depth in it to. So whether you are a casual or hardcore gamer, there is a lot to be delighted about here.

The storyline of Wizard 101 is played through simple yet entertaining quests, and it gives you enough leeway so that you can go off and do your own thing if you want to, but at the same time it gives you a definitive path to follow, which is good for those of you who want more direction on how to further advance in the storyline and your character. Whilst the quests and areas do repeat themselves to the extent that some gamers may be disappointed, I personally found that despite this negative point, the game still managed to retain its fun aspect.

An aspect that usually fails in most MMORPGs is (surprisingly) the community, however this game’s neighbourhood is not too bad in this wizard world. With the game being aimed at the tween and family friendly demographic, the chat system employed is a “safe chat” system, whereby players under the age 12 must use the safe chat system (unless their parents approve them for use of the normal chat system used by everyone else). This creates a good community as the game isn’t saturated with “l33t” speak and nonsense spouting children who beg for equipment. Wizard 101 is also backed up with some the most amazing admins ever. The admins/game makers keep the players fully updated and you can tell there is a strong bond between player and maker, which potentially means a dream game could be made with player’s requests being fulfilled and bugs being easily tracked down and destroyed. Also admin activity is friendly and generally fun and it is also nice to find a group of game makers who seem to have a wonderful taste in humour.

Regarding where this game is going, no one can really comprehend. How the game makers intend to make money is unknown at this point with the various ways to get money being considered at this point in time. I for one would not like to see this game as a pay to play game, as it is obvious with the games target demographic that the game will not generate enough money with p2p and flop. I would suggest to the developers though about providing a cash shop with clothes and accessories and making the whole game available to everyone, as this method has been proved to earn more money on average than a monthly fee. It is suspected however that Wizard 101 will follow the Runescape model of payment, whereby around 40% of the game is available for free and that to access the rest of the game you have to pay. Whilst this method has been proved by Jagex as successful I think that due to Wizard 101 vast impending tween popularity the game is better off selling appearance changing (not stat changing) clothes as if a really cool piece of clothing was on sale for your teen mage, who in the world would not buy it?

Like I was when I first started playing, I’m incredibly scared at where this game is going to end up. Wizard 101 has a lot of potential and I truly believe that this MMORPG will live up to the hype generated and that KingsIsle’s first title will blow minds, however how the developers intend to make money off this game is worrying as it could mean making the game inaccessible to a whole lot of players, which would be disgraceful considering that this MMO is set to be one of the best in the genre yet.

A True Gaming Disaster.

The title says it all, really. As I started the game and went to create my character, the first thing I noticed was the pitiful excuse for customization. You aren’t able to choose your gender, the point-click is is as laggy as it is poorly maneuverable, and the only customization offered is preset hair and face modules of dull quality. I will say they did well with the class choices, though. Nonetheless, I wasn’t going to let that deter me from playing.

I entered the world as an Orc Berserker, and the surroundings didn’t seem bad. The graphics were acceptable, late 90’s style, so I had a little hope for the game; until, that is, I actually decided to move around. The movement in this game lags horribly. As you try to rotate your view while running, it takes almost 2 seconds before the character moves to catch up.

Of course, despite this little glitch, I decided to try my hand at a quest. The quest system seems fairly descent, although there was still the not-so-descent point and click. So I then set out to check out the combat in this, and I’ll say that the melee attack was smooth, however the player HP is reduced much too fast – I died 4 times killing six newbie-level spiders.

That is when I decided to take my leave. All in all, I believe that if the developers would have put a little more time and professional effort into designing this game, it could have been somewhat good. But seeing as that wasn’t the case, this game is so terrible that it had to be reduced to “100% Free” status in hope that someone might just play it for 5 minutes.

Saga

Play the world’s first persistent online real-time strategy game. Featuring Online Chat, Quests, Auction House, Guild Wars, Espionage, Raiding, PvP, and much more MMO excitement.

Collect over 100 troop types and over 50 different spells. Customize your units with weapons and armor won in Quests.
Join with friends in Cooperative Mode or Battle Solo on over a thousand Quests online. Unlock over 50 Nation Upgrades. Fight Boss Monsters for Epic Loot Rewards.

Fly For Fun new version release!

Sunnyvale, Califorinia – August 29th, 2008 – Gala-Net Inc. will release the next chapter to its most renowned MMORPG game, Flyff: Fly for Fun later this fall.



Flyff, Version 12 (V12) will be saturated with new content changes that Flyff users have been eagerly anticipating. Among the many updates in this new version is the Lord System, which allows users to vote for a “Lord” in each cluster. The honor of becoming a “Lord” comes with the ability to start EXP or item drop events, boost a player’s Attack or Defense Power by 10%, and much more. In addition to the Lord System, V12 will captivate users with the Forsaken Tower and its Secret Rooms. Located deep in the south of Flaris lies the Forsaken Tower where the most horrendous creatures dwell. This tower will entice users to explore the Secret Rooms, where they will face off against new monsters, and gain abundant experience points for leveling up one’s character. V12 also features Rangda, the soul of a cursed witch that lies in the deep forest of Darkon. The four incarnations of Rangdas: Rangda, Horrible Rangda, Uncanny Rangda, and Dreadful Rangda – each drop unique items. Rangda will drop up to three special items and appear in various places on the map. V12 brings a wide variety of exciting updates to this next chapter of Flyff. Users will notice the many changes and improvements to the gameplay of Flyff, designed to streamline customization and enhance the user’s experience altogether.



As Flyff continues to grow worldwide, Gala-Net strives to elevate the experience of its dedicated fans while also attracting new players to its virtual world. “Gala-Net Inc. and Aeonsoft have undoubtedly worked very hard to bring V12 to life,” says Senior Producer Keehwan Her. “Each update and change was made with the user in mind. We know that V12 will be welcomed by the Flyff community.”

Ryzom is open to test to everyone for FREE !!!

We are very happy to let you know that starting right now we have reopened account creation! As well as this, you can also test all of our MMORPG Ryzom with no restrictions for FREE at www.ryzom.com!

If you don’t already have a copy of Ryzom hurry up and download it for free on our web page : http://www.ryzom.com/en/download_game.html, and you can also easily create a free Ryzom account on this page : http://secure.nevrax.com/signup/?language=en (no Credit Card required). Hurry up as this will only be possible for a short time because there’s a limited number of accounts available across all three communities!

All accounts created during this stage will be able to access the entire Ryzom game totally free. Enjoy ;-)…

World of Kung Fu Extends Popular “Summer of Love” Event Until September 7th

Popular “Summer of Love” in-game marriage event will be extended to September 7th, with winners and prizes to be awarded on September 14th.

Shanghai, Sep 4th, 2008 – World of Kung Fu, the free-to-play 3D martial arts MMORPG from VestGame Entertainment, is extending its popular “Summer of Love” in-game event due to player demand. This event allows groups of players get married amid a plethora fantastic decorations, balloons, flower bouquets, fireworks, and other mall items given out for free by the generous GMs. Wedding pictures of the new couples will be posted on the World of Kung Fu Website, with winners to be chosen by the community of World of Kung Fu Players.

One Grand Prize will be awarded on each server to the couple with the best photo. In addition to having their picture up on the World of Kung Fu website, the winning couple will receive 2 Xian Wu mounts and 2 Wish Rings. All entrants will receive a prize for their participation, such as the legendary Sky Pearl, a rare item useful for refining equipment.

Marriages in World of Kung Fu are performed by the GMs after players get their marriage license from the Matchmaker NPC located in the cities of Liuhe, and Bizhou. In addition to a lifetime of marital bliss, married couples also get a 20% experience bonus (upgradable to 50%) on actions performed together. In future upgrades to the game, there will actually be a child rearing system that will allow children to inherit attributes from their parents! Stay tuned for more info on that when it becomes available. More information about this and other upcoming events can be found on the World of Kung Fu website.

Adventures far from the sun

Enthralling dungeons and instances are waiting in Runes of Magic

Berlin, Sept. 4th 2008:

The world of Runes of Magic consists not only of vast and varied regions, but there are literally dozens of caves and mines in Taborea, reaching deep down below the surface of the earth. In the dangerous dungeons of Frogster’s ambitious fantasy online role-playing game, you can not only find gremlins and goblins, but far more dangerous creatures and monsters.

Taborea is a continuous persistent world even extending below the surface of the earth. But Runes of Magic offers instanced dungeons also, where parties of brave adventurers meet to complete special tasks or just to discover exciting places. Once in the dungeon, the adventurers are on their own in their battle against fierce bosses and their henchmen. Now it will be decided if the quest party is tactically suitable assembled and harmonizes to complete their quests. Extreme caution is advised, if the boss-mob has no level number, but displays a small crown instead. Those special bosses are extremely dangerous and many a brave soul has already lost their life trying to defeat them.

Runes of Magic not only offers static dungeons, but players will find dynamically generated dungeons as well, where new monsters and treasures are randomly generated every time a player enters (so called tile-based dungeons). The dynamic cave systems regenerate by random every time players re-enter and therefore can be discovered anew again and again.< /br>
If the most dangerous group of monsters waited just behind the next corner during your last visit, they surely will be somewhere else next time and will carry different loot as well. So it always pays off to drop by more often without having to fear to be bored over time.

But not all of those dark places in Runes of Magic can be entered at all times. There are dungeons that are only accessible at certain times – or to persons with a certain fame or reputation. For some of the challenges waiting in those dungeons, even the toughest group of six adventurers won’t be enough, so there is only one way: form a raid! Dozens of player’s are needed to send powerful monsters that terrorize the lands and guard vast treasures back to their maker Ayvenas. But their dark retreats are huge and they command armies of powerful followers, so even reaching those bosses will be very dangerous.

According to developer Runewaker Entertainment, the game world of Runes of Magic will at release not only contain instanced raids, but there will be huge persistent dungeons with dozens of levels as well, that offer enough room for multiple groups of adventurers. In these, players can battle against monsters of their own strength and move on to new battlegrounds, as soon as they reach higher levels. And if the AI creatures of darkness aren’t challenging enough, players can battle other players in special PvP dungeons. Bold players can still register for the beta on the official website www.runesofmagic.com.

Runes of Magic – a world full of wizardry and adventure
With an extensive range of features Runes of Magic prepares to redefine the standard of free-to-play MMO games. Right from the launch Runes of Magic will convey its absorbing story in over 600 quests embedded in an atmospheric world. Players can choose from six main classes. Combined with a secondary class they dispose of 36 individual character classes over all. All characters possess unique skills with impressive combo attacks and can
use mounts in the later stages of game play. A particularly attractive feature for guilds and players is the possibility to arrange their own virtual homes with individual furnishing. Thanks
to an extensive crafting and reputation system, thrilling PVP as well as demanding dungeons and boss-monsters, no wishes remain unsatisfied. The Taiwanese developer Runewaker has
developed Runes of Magic according to western MMO standards within a time frame of three years. The studio will provide new challenges for players every three to four months with free add-ons and updates. MMO fans can find more information, pictures and videos on the official website www.runesofmagic.com.

Runes of Magic features


  • Free2play, no monthly fees, free download

  • Dual class system with switchable primary and secondary classes

  • Enthralling background story

  • Already over 600 quests and level comprehensive quest series on launch
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  • Instanced and persistent dungeons

  • Individually developed skills and spells

  • Armor sets with special bonuses

  • Dynamic item system: Upgrades with hundreds of runes

  • Activatable PvP system (Player vs. Player duels)

  • Epic crafting system with the possibility to improve existing items

  • Individual coloring of clothes and armor

  • Housing: personalization with individual furniture for players and guilds

  • Special zones for guild houses

  • Reputation system

  • Scalable user interface based on the users preference (development of your own
    add-ons possible)

  • In-game map and radar system to find dealers, resources and quests easily

  • Auction house: auction and purchase items

  • Teleporting possibilities per runes

  • Different and unique mounts

  • Controlling with mouse (point & click) and keyboard (WASD or arrow keys) possible

The Legacy of Holy Castle Registered Users Number breaks through 150,000

California, United States 29 Aug 2008 – PKVE (Peak Virtual Entertainment Co., Ltd.) announced that its first Medieval Multiplaying Browser-based Game The Legacy of Holy Castle has got more than 150,000 registered users in two months! To meet the demands of the increasingly developed players, the third Server is expected to launch in about 20 days.

The Legacy of Holy Castle has been developing crazily since the first day of its appearance. It’s a Middle Aged strategic webgame featuring fresh gameplay, innovative ideas, some nice graphics and so much more. The Perfect Combination of Hero Development and Strategy Battle, Unique Battle Formation System and the real time chat box are the prominent features that make this game different with other same genre games.

This Game though introduces yet another element of the wide realms of instant-gratification games. RPG, Role Play Games, are craftly weaved into the fabrics of this browser game. The hero system adds an element that varies with the players’ intelligence and determination and not, as most browser games do, with the one guy who has a louder alarm clock in the middle of the night to build something right after the new mine is done.In order to keep player from overlooking the heroes feature the heroes are one of the very rare ways to get a very important resource, Wood, so the player have to get their minds into the gameplay.

This way not only the games works always at his top standard, but also this standard is constantly highered and the game is not only kept a good one but is constantly improved for better entertain the players.

Join and enjoy the game at holy.pkve.com or holy2.pkve.com, build your own castle in this Holy world!

PERFECT WORLD INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES OPEN BETA

September 2, 2008 – Redwood City, CA – Perfect World Entertainment Inc, a wholly owned US subsidiary of Perfect World Co., Ltd., today announced the beta for its highly anticipated online game “Perfect World International” is now open to all gamers. As the closed beta comes to an end, new and existing gamers will be provided open access to “Perfect World International” where they can fully immerse themselves in the expansive world and create permanent characters that will remain in the game through launch and beyond.

“With millions of players worldwide and a successful closed beta launch in North America, we are excited to now introduce an even larger audience of gamers to Perfect World International as it enters the open beta phase,” said Dr. Alan Chen, CEO of Perfect World Entertainment Inc. “We are confident that our premium content, skillful approach to game design, and excellent execution will redefine the free-to-play market in North America while establishing Perfect World Entertainment as a leading provider of interactive entertainment.”

“Perfect World International” is the English-based, international version of Perfect World II, one of the most successful 3D MMORPGs worldwide. With its expansive feature set and unique artistic elegance, “Perfect World International” offers an immersive online world that players can enter free of charge, earning in-game currency to upgrade their character and further enhance their game play experience. The game features one of the most in-depth character creation interfaces seen in any game to date, numerous quests full of lore and depth, and an extensive selection of items and fashions. Unique MMORPG features such as Territory Wars will delight gamers and increase replay value as they explore and battle across the ever-expanding game world.

Additional game features include:

  • 3 Unique Classes – Human, Winged Elf, and the Untamed, each with their own look, feel, and game mechanics. Each character class has different skill trees, which cater to the user’s visual tastes as well as their intrinsic needs as a gamer.
  • Guild/Clan System – Guilds enable chat between members, creation of guild emblems, guild versus guild battles, and control of existing territories.
  • Territory Wars – Guilds can own territories and battle for their control. Weekly battles support up to 80 vs. 80 and winners receive a virtual monetary reward determined by the amount of territory occupied.
  • Mount System – Large selection of custom mounts, including flying mounts and the unique ability to mount and carry other players. Players have the unique ability to fight while on their mounts both in PvP (Player vs. Player) and PvE (Player vs. Environment).
    Costumes – Players have the ability to fully express themselves through their in-game characters by customizing clothing, and creating fully personalized avatars. These customization items can be bought from the item mall or traded with other players in the game.
    Free Roaming Map – Large variety of terrains and scenery and no “zoning” or front loading when entering a new area.
  • Consequence – Character abilities change based on their decisions and their allegiance to good and evil as they align themselves with either side.
  • Marriage System – Both players will have an online notice, and a wife/husband title. Marriage requires an item from the Cash Shop which is worth around 30$ in Perfect World item shop currency.
    Crafting System – Players can select and raise four different crafting skills. Blacksmithing (creates weapons), Tailoring (creates armor), Jewelry (creates various jewelry and arrows), and Pharmacist (creates potions and hierograms).
  • World Events – Aside from day-to-day game play, players can also participate in World Events that regularly take place in the game and allow players to obtain unique items. These include treasure hunts, horse races, jungle ruins quests, etc.
  • Exceptional Localization – Perfect World Entertainment has gone through great lengths to fully re-localize Perfect World into English, while at the same time ensure that the Chinese mythology and lore continue to enrich the end-user’s experience.

Players can find additional information on “Perfect World International” and gain access to the game by visiting: www.perfectworld.com

Aion Ascension

NCsoft has released a new video for its upcoming new title, Aion: Tower of Eternity. The game play video depicts the quest players must take in order to receive their wings (at level 10) in the game. The Ascension quest also shows how player grow from ‘normal’ beings to god-like Daeva’s.