Monthly Archives: October 2008

Fallen Earth hits content complete development goal

CARY, N.C. – OCTOBER 2, 2008 – Fallen Earth, LLC has announced that its self-titled MMO, Fallen Earth, is now content complete after an accelerated development schedule during the past nine months. Fallen Earth is a post-apocalyptic massively multiplayer online game that mixes first-person shooter style with traditional role-playing game mechanics. “When we set our milestones and started the scrum method nine months ago, we knew we had some incredibly high goals for the team to achieve,” said Colin Dwan, Fallen Earth project manager. “Since then we have run like a well-oiled machine and actually surpassed those original goals. The team has worked tirelessly to not only deliver an immense volume of material, but new and innovative play experiences. Quality has not been sacrificed on our path to completion. I can’t wait to get more people in the world to enjoy this awesome experience.”

Achieving a new level of 3D realism through the use of hi-poly normal mapped objects, the Fallen Earth art department has created hundreds of jackets, pants, belts, gloves, and pads for players of all skill levels. Characters have more than a dozen customizable character slots, including head, mouth, eye, and ear slots, giving players unlimited options for character development. New and improved ranged and melee weapons add diverse combat options, including a bladed hockey stick, a parking meter, a Tesla hammer (a Taser on a hammer) and even a baker’s rolling pin. A wide range of gear—gas masks, hazmat suits, goggles and specialized body armor—complete the player experience.

The Fallen Earth development team has completed thousands of new character customization options, approximately 70 towns and more than 5,000 missions—many of which are faction-oriented and relate directly to the game’s story line. Starter towns acclimate players to post-tutorial game play and provide basic needed supplies. Fifteen towns are designed as player-conquerable, with areas of abandoned towers and rubble specifically designed for the PvP enthusiast.

The Fallen Earth team developed more than 50,000 lines of dialogue including information on missions, item descriptions, conversation options, and NPC interactions. More than 1,300 new and motion-captured animations and emotes allow players to communicate more easily and add visual excitement to the game. Players are forced to be resourceful, scavenging and trading with other players to create vehicles, weapons and other tools using several thousand crafting recipes. Boasting a database of approximately 6,000 items, players can combine materials and work with others to make 95 percent of game items. Although most vehicles are designed solely for transportation, they give players an added combat advantage, as weapons can be mounted or fired from the vehicle.

Fallen Earth is currently in Alpha testing. The Beta test date has not been released.

Secret of Solstice: New Dungeon and Events Arrive

The latest patch for the free-to-play MMORPG Secret of the Solstice is now available, introducing a challenging new high level dungeon, community-requested balance changes, and some exciting new in-game events.

The doors sealing the Sleepless Grave dungeon below the sandy city of Eir have been opened, allowing high level players to access the dangerous crypt for the first time. Players willing to brave the mummies, stone warriors, and minotaurs who make the Sleepless Grave their home will be rewarded with valuable Xen Stones – magical items that allow players to enhance and modify their gear. Low level players haven’t been forgotten – the Xen Stone drop rate has also been dramatically increased in all of Solstice’s dungeons.

The famous Xenian war hero Drekard will also be leading bands of adventurers into the game’s many dungeons on Thursday, October 9th, including the new Sleepless Grave. Players that manage to stay by Drekard’s side for the entirety of the event will be rewarded with powerful in-game prizes.

Finally, players who aren’t yet ready for their first taste of Secret of the Solstice dungeon spelunking can log on Saturday, October 11th for the Welcome to Xen event. The Solstice GMs will be helping players new to the world of Xen through their first quests, answering questions, and even handing out in-game items.

For full patch notes or more information on any of these upcoming events, visit the Secret of the Solstice website now.

LOTRO: The Gates Of Moria Open On November 18th

Help reclaim the ancient kingdom of the Dwarves!

Codemasters Online and Turbine Inc. are proud to announce that the first expansion The Lord of the Rings Online™: Mines of Moria™ will launch on November 18th, 2008.

You can pre-order your copy of Mines of Moria™ by going to our pre-order page now.

For further details on what awaits you in the darkness within Mines of Moria, visit the Mines of Moria section at LOTRO Europe today.

To see some Mines of Moria screenshots, visit the Screenshot Section.

Wonderland Online: New Pets in Fairy’s Whisper

Wonderland Online Version 3.0 Fairy’s Whisper will include the release of some new pets, like Angel-Angela, Elf-Eva and Spirit-Charlotte. We are sure these three new pets will bring you to a fantastic new Wonderland world.

Angel-Angela: An envoy sent on a mission to Earth on behalf of the Gods. She is in charge of guarding the Bright Sword with which Perseus killed the Gorgon Medusa. After Perseus returned the sword to God, numerous people tried to seize it from Angela for thousands of years, but nobody succeeded.

Elf-Eva: An Evil Envoy on probation, she is naughty and often plays tricks on other elves, even King Samile shrugs his shoulders at her. After she was promoted, Samile ordered her to persuade the Savior to give up fighting against hell. If she fails, she must destroy the Savior with the Dark Shield. Can she complete this mission?

Spirit-Charlotte: A small but agile spirit from a different race. All spirits live a leisurely life. They are lively and clever. Thus, they often put up various ideas and are good at transmitting information.

Tantra Online Review

by Rick Charbs

Tantra Online is a MMORPG that is not considered fresh on the MMO market. It had been previously introduced internationally, having more or less faded success. Though, after many attempts, Game Networks decided to bring it back globally, and released it in closed beta this past week. The closed beta phase 2 was released on October 9, with many improvements and lots of player feedback. It will remain completely free, with optional cash shop purchasing available in the future full release. Based on Buddhism and Hinduism, this game revolves around ancient Asia. I logged into this game expecting so little, having tried this game many-a-time ago, and left with a broader view on this title.

Basic game play
Known as a PVP MMORPG, Tantra Online does not show a unique approach to gaming. Developed more than four years ago, this game does not conform to the new styles of game development. It is highly disliked for its traditional style (known as generic by most) by some audiences; however there is a great community in-game that finds certain joy playing this classic title. Tantra Online features four classes that each branch off twice. There are many skill sets and stat builds per class, which is a pretty nice touch, when wanting to make your character unique. However, your character’s physical attributes will be rather dull, and you will look identical to someone of the same class branch. There are many different armour types though, to ensure some sort of difference between player characters.
As previously stated, Tantra Online is a game you’ll want to play if you can see past this sort of generic feel, and love to kick player butt! The PVP systems in this game are very elaborate and highly entertaining. Training is usually fairly easy, so it won’t take you long to reach the required level to PVP effectively. Knowing this, Tantra players play for the stimulating experiences they will live when they are capable to fight other worthy players, God Wars being one of the most popular features. God Wars is a siege type PVP mode, consisting in two large teams opposing each other for supremacy. A lot of teamwork is involved and every class compliments another quite efficiently, boosting cooperation and general enjoyment of PVP in the game.

Questing
Tantra Online has actually brought innovation in the questing department- for the most part. God Quests are an important feature of the game. They consist of an average generic quest/storyline that results in a hefty reward- god skill points. Depending on the type of god you chose to follow, you will gain special skills through your questing, mainly used for PVP. However, aside from these unique quests, everything is terribly generic, kill x monsters, gather y items. You may want to stay clear.

Graphics and sound
Okay, so the graphics and the sound of this game are not the greatest. You may come to judge them both too quickly, but I suggest you give them time to grow on you. The sound is arguably of horrible quality. If you really dislike it, you can just replace it with a media player. As for the graphics, they should not be looked over so easily. They are quite old and are not of the greatest quality even on high settings, but they are also decent enough for a casual game. The lack of high end graphics also ensures the game will run quickly, and that does not mean the game looks bad. Sure the environments are bland and could be re-textured, but the skills are very flashy and entertaining to watch. The equipment your character wears can also be very appealing to the eye. This game offers a wide range of players due to this. Almost any computer now-days can run this simplistic game.

Personal Recommendation
At first glance, I will honestly admit I thought this game was going to be utterly horrible. It was not the greatest gaming experience of my life, but it was decent enough to consider it an okay game. Game Networks is a great publishing company, and I am positive they will induce many users to play this game. Their support was always of high quality. When I had a question, they would personally answer it for me in-game right away. I learned how to play the game so quickly due to this. This company actually cares of their players. They are one of the very few game companies that have finally understood the concept of better service equals better community. I cannot stress enough how satisfied I was with their service.
Some of this game’s content is surprisingly unique; however it seems bewildered in its overseen gameplay style. The Asian historical MMORPGS are very abundant, thus shading this game from the public quite a bit. This does not take away the authenticity of the game: it is one of the very first of its kind developed in 3D.
Considering you enjoy PVP, you have no loss in trying out this game. The closed beta features 100x exp, that’s right 100x. You will be able to integrate into the PVP atmosphere of this game RIGHT away! It is fun, interactive, and very casual. If you dislike fighting other players, you will most certainly not find your place in this game seeing as the AI and quest system is simply not enough for the average PVE player. You will get bored fast, and these days there are just too many alternative MMORPGs to hop in, rather than waste your time on this particular one. I, for one, only enjoy PVE. Thus, this game is just not my cup of tea, and I do not plan on playing it any further. The things I have really enjoyed in this experience were the classes’ skills and the in-game support. I suggest you give this game a chance during the closed beta at the very least- you have nothing to lose- the server is filled with eager players ready to wage war. You will be spending little to no time training, and thus you will be able to live the true gaming experience Tantra Online offers.

Pros
– Great character skill builds
– Interesting twist on questing (God Quests)
– Fun PVP

Cons
– Severely outdated graphics and sound
– Generic for the most part
No customization

Atlantica Online Review

by Rick Charbs

Atlantica Online is a brand new MMORPG published and hosted by NDOORS. Currently in the open beta phase, this title is constantly improving and polishing its features to be favoured by the public. I’ve had great pleasure playing this game; however I found many aspects I personally think need some improvement.
Atlantica Online is one of the very few MMORPGs, let alone free MMORPGs, that introduce a landscape modeled to that of real world continents. The game currently features Asia and Europe as playable turf. Some would consider this unoriginal, but personally I found the feature extremely plausible, as I would be able to explore real landscapes through the game (okay, so it’s not anything compared to the real thing, but it is still interesting). The game’s storyline is heavily based on ancient civilization, notably: the mythical city of Atlantis, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Babylon, and Egypt. Many historical figures show up in the storyline, and some may possibly join you in your travels!
Undoubtedly, the Asian culture has also been drenched in the game for obvious reasons. This compliments the atmosphere and playability of the game, for it adds a whole new world of possibilities with the Asian culture being so vast and integrated.

Basic game play
Atlantica Online brings a bundle of unique game play features with its current release. Firstly, the game is entirely party based. Each player may control a party of nine characters at a time, one of them being your main character, and the rest, being mercenaries.
Mercenaries are hired from special NPCs. They advance with you in experience levels and you may also outfit them with equipment you find in your journeys.
The combat style is fully turn based, with a slight twist. I would say this rather unique system reminded me of Final Fantasy X. You are given a time limit of thirty seconds during your turn to strike the enemy side, and then your enemy side has their own time limit of thirty seconds to strike back at your side. During that allocated period of time, each one of your nine mercenaries may attack the enemy side at least once. It may prove difficult at first, but the learning curve in order to master the speed necessary to play the game is very short. You will also be given one turn, after all of your enemies are vanquished, to collect their loot. One might ask “If I already travel with nine characters, can I not play with my friends too?” Of course you can! You may join in a party with up to two other people, meaning you can have up to twenty seven fighters on your side at a time.
I will not be getting into PVP all that much, but imagine a battlefield with twenty seven of your allies versus twenty seven of the enemy forces? All of that aside, it still requires a lot of tactical thinking and skill in order to prevail, a great bonus for elitist gamers. If you truly enjoy PVP gaming, Atlantica Online also features the challenge system. Basically, the challenge system is an elaborate opponent selecting system. It pairs you up with people either near your experience level, or with the same amount of characters as you chose to fight with. There is also a free league division in which even low level players in strength can pair up against high level players, with temporarily enhanced strength attributes in order to be able to battle a fair fight. You may also set bets on the line for the winner’s reward.
One final unique system I would like to introduce is the stamina system. Every player is given a set amount of stamina, and as a player still has enough stamina, they will gain extra exp and items for every monster they defeat. Every battle reduces your stamina by one point, and you start with a hundred or so stamina as you create your character. Do not fret though, there are many ways to gain stamina, such as community participation or simply just waiting until the server allocates everyone more points (this happens quite frequently).

Questing
The questing aspect of MMORPG is most certainly not where this game shines. I found the quests I had completed very generic and unrewarding, however the storyline behind each quest is quite interesting to listen to for the most part (that’s right, I said listen). Some quests even feature an “auto walk” feature that brings you right to the needed NPC. I disliked this due to the promotion of laziness, but the feature isn’t always offered, so I cooperated with it.

Graphics and sounds
The graphics are quite over demanding in machine power for their true beauty, however they are considered quite well put together for a free game. My computer, being more or less okay for gaming, didn’t accept these graphics very well, and so I had difficulty playing even on the lowest quality graphics. However, I do not believe this game should be judged negatively on its graphics quality, because they are still decent enough to be labelled average. I found them to be very generic though.
As for the music and overall sound of this title, I must say I was impressed. I have not experienced travelling the entire game map, but I am eager to hear the music each area provides. They put you in the right setting and mood, I highly approve of it. I do not suspect one would be disappointed over the music at the very least. The various sounds are acceptable for the most part, and the characters voices are surprisingly well done- which is a lot to say for a title translated into English, previously being in Korean.

Personal Recommendation
Playing Atlantica Online has exposed to me a completely new style of MMORPG gaming. This game is extremely unique, so if you are looking for something eccentric and different, this is a great game to try. Consequently, by saying different, I only imply the systems and general game play this game offers. The graphics are very generic, I cannot stress that enough. If you are sick of the current free MMORPG market, you will have to set aside your hatred for these generic graphics to be able to enjoy this game.
Another disappointment was the lack of customization. Your characters will severely lack uniqueness, because there are only approximately four hair styles and face styles per gender, and only a few color choices. You will find many clones of your character running about. For an open beta though, this game still has a lot of room to grow, and I see a positive future for its current player base. I give Atlantica online a B grade.

Pros
– High-end graphics
– Unique style of gaming
– Interesting environments/world map
– Turn based

Cons
– Requires a decently powerful machine
– Little to no customization

Fiesta: Discover Your Inner Explorer on Columbus Day in Fiesta

Christopher Columbus has discovered the magical world of Isya! Now he’s stuck in the free to play MMORPG Fiesta with no way to return home, having lost his three famous ships and most of his nautical equipment at sea.

Always willing to lend a helping hand, the people of Isya have rallied behind Columbus and are now working to rebuild the legendary explorer’s fleet. New premium items for players ready to join Columbus’ new fleet are now available in the Fiesta Store: The Sailor Uniform, Mara Hat, and Eye Patch. Sure, you may not know your clinometer from your sextant, but at least you’ll look the part!

Once your costume is in order, check out the new Santa Maria mount and set sail for the new world. Every player that purchases a Santa Maria mount before October 31st and helps Columbus get back on his sea legs will be automatically entered in a raffle to win a real life brass telescope and ship wheel courtesy of Columbus himself.

World of Kung Fu: Martial Arts Online Game Opens New East Coast Server

The Free-to-Play Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) from VestGame Entertainment will open a new server on the East Coast of the United States. World of Kung Fu players on the East Coast and in Europe will benefit from enhanced performance and increased access speed. The new server will begin operation on October 14th.

Shanghai, October 9, 2008 – Due to the growing popularity of World of Kung Fu, Vestgame Entertainment has decided to open a new server to keep pace with the large number of new accounts. The new server will increase speed and access times for our East Coast and European players.

Code named “IronMonkey”, the new server will complement the “JadeDragon” and “GoldenSerpent” servers already in operation. The two existing servers are located in the American Midwest.
To celebrate the opening of the new server, World of Kung Fu will soon announce details of a special event featuring a very special prize. This event will be unlike anything done previously, and will include a major surprise to delight participating players.

In November, after the “IronMonkey” server is up and running smoothly, World of Kung Fu will release a new upgrade to the game. The new version will feature an invasion system which will involve several different event based scenarios such as country-to-country invasions, and invasions of the Middle Kingdom by hostile outside forces. The new version will also incorporate many other features, additions, and enhancements to gameplay.
World of Kung Fu is an MMORPG based in a 3D virtual world for the PC. Rooted in traditional Chinese culture, the game takes place in a mythical land founded on the ancient Kung Fu moral values of justice and heroism.
Digest: The Free-to-Play Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) from VestGame Entertainment will open a new server on the East Coast of the United States. World of Kung Fu players on the East Coast and in Europe will benefit from enhanced performance and increased access speed. The new server will begin operation on October 14th.