Monthly Archives: November 2008

World of Kung Fu: Martial Arts Online Game Gets Major Upgrade

World of Kung Fu, The Free-to-Play Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) from VestGame Entertainment is getting a major upgrade that includes new quests, skills, mounts, and several new systems that dramatically enhance gameplay.

VestGame Entertainment has announced a major upgrade to World of Kung Fu, the popular 3D MMO set in ancient China. The latest upgrade will see the addition of several major new systems, as well as new quests for higher level players, new mounts, and skill enhancements for all weapon classes.

The most significant new system in this upgrade is the Invasion System. Players will now be able to battle foreign enemies in one of two new event based scenarios. The first involves an invasion by hostile forces from outside the Middle Kingdom, and the other involves country-to-country battles that take place within. Both scenarios allow players the chance to gain reputation and other benefits such as game gold and items from the item mall.

Another system making its debut is the Transform System. This allows players to collect “transform cards” which enable them to transform into marvelous creatures and exciting special characters, such as the Monkey King. Players who undergo transformation get special new attacks and abilities while in the transformed state.

New mounts available to players include the Zhu Que (Giant Phoenix) and the ferocious fire lion known as Nian. Additional quests have been developed for levels 40-80 to enhance the enjoyment of more experienced players. Also, the weapons skills of all weapon classes have been improved and balanced. Nunchakus have been added to provide players with a quick attribute bonus.

A great many other, less visible gameplay elements have been tweaked and enhanced such as the item drop rate for slain monsters and changes to the tutor/apprentice system. The impetus for these changes was, as always, the World of Kung Fu team’s desire to provide the best possible gameplay experience for the large and growing worldwide community of World of Kung Fu players.

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.

Dungeons and Dragons launches Prisoners of Prophecy

Turbine, Inc. today announced the launch of Prisoners of Prophecy, the 8th major content update for Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach.

This update delivers a completely upgraded experience for new players, improves solo play with the introduction of Hirelings, upgrades the DDO engine to support DX-10 graphics technology, and adds more monsters, spells, magic items, and challenging Dungeons to the game.

An official media alert follows with more details.

Asheron’s Call

Welcome to the online role-playing game Asheron’s Call, where thousands of players inhabit a beautiful 3D fantasy world to make friends and seek out perilous adventure. Customize your alter ego with a unique appearance and balance of heroic skills, then enter a magical frontier of terrible monsters, breathtaking vistas, and fast alliances. With over 500 square miles that offer ever more wonders to explore, Asheron’s Call gives you a world of unparalleled scope and freedom, the richest setting yet for creating your personal saga or joining your friends in an epic campaign.

Be sure to visit our Monthly Events pages to get a glimpse of the ongoing storyline and ever-evolving world of Dereth.

Eudemons: Celebrity Hall – For Courageous and Reputable Ones Only

Have you ever longed to be fighting against the best of the best in Eudemons Online? To be with people at your own level? To have that extra challenge and spring in your step? Then you need to double your efforts and head for Celebrity Hall! Be amongst the most feared and revered, and you’ll even get a statue!

Being allowed into Celebrity Hall is an honor for only those who are worthy and courageous enough to belong among the elite. The Celebrity Hall is a new world for you to strive for; a new height to bring new meaning to your profound efforts.

The teleporter can send you to the Celebrity Hall whenever you would like. You couldn’t tell from the name, but this is not a place for the weak or faint of heart. It is a place of carnage and chaos; a grand battle royal of epic proportions. Here, you have free reign to destroy whomever might be foolish enough to challenge you. Pity does not exist here, only victory.

If you wish to test your mettle, you should prepare yourself and enter the Celebrity Hall for some, satisfying (if not a little frustrating) gameplay.

If you are among the top 1,000 strongest players on your server and wish to test your might, just ready your weapon and enter the Celebrity Hall.

From October, you can build your own statue in the Celebrity Hall if your battle power is high enough to destroy others’ and take their place.

How to Enter Celebrity Hall
Talk to Lucas in Cronus (305,420), the administrator will be here to give you more details about Celebrity Hall.

Rank
You can check the Celebrity Hall rankings before signing up. You can check the target’s basic information such as class, level, and equipment. Battle Power in the Celebrity Hall = level + Summoned Eudemon + Equipment + Nobility Rank + Castle Level Click the button ‘Go to Celebrity Hall’ and you can enter the Celebrity Hall from the Market.

Sign Up
1. The Celebrity Hall is classified into 5 different zones with different difficulties. Based on your current Battle Power, please be wise when choosing which zone you want to enter!

2. If a statue hasn’t been taken yet, you can click on it to register your rank.

3. After signing up, your equipment and summoned Eudemons will be recorded.

4. Then you can place a statue in the Celebrity Hall. But if you give your registered equipment or Eudemons away, your rank in the celebrity hall will be canceled. So you can strengthen your battle power by improving your equipment or composing your Eudemons in the market.

Challenge
When a statue is built and you wish to destroy it and take its place, you must submit a challenge.

1. Click a statue and check its details.

2. You can only challenge those whose Battle Power is less than 50 above yours. Click the ‘Challenge’ button to fight the target!

3. If you have defeated the target, you can smash his/her statue and replace it with your own.

Place a Statue
There are many kinds of poses you can choose from. Once you have made a decision, click on the Button ‘Freeze’ and set the statue. Your can choose whatever gestures you would like.

Now you have built your own statue, which will be the symbol of your greatness. You may attack anyone you so wish to, if for nothing more than to satisfy your urge for blood. The ultimate battleground has come. Show no fear, take no prisoners, and seize your destiny but its throat! Become the next champion of Eudemons!

ArchLord Expands With All-New Server and PvP Rule-set

ArchLord, the popular subscription-free MMORPG opens all-new hardcore PvP server to cope with increasing demand

Codemasters Online is excited to announce the forthcoming introduction of their all-new ArchLord hardcore PvP server Cyripus.

Due to popular demand and the hugely growing player-base of the 100% free MMORPG, Codemasters Online are opening the new server with focus on player vs player (PvP) combat for both new and existing players alike to battle it out in this epic, siege-focused MMORPG.

To celebrate the launch of Cyripus, Codemasters Online are running a number of in-game events to challenge their already eagerly awaiting players; from “First ArchLord”, to various in-game levelling contests, seeing players from all over Europe and N. America competing within various in-game categories. Many prizes are up for grabs for players competing on the new server.

Ed Relf, Director, Marketing, Codemasters Online commented, “This is a hugely significant development for ArchLord. The new server has been brought online to cope with the massively increasing demand for the game. We are still attracting tens of thousands of new players each week and with almost ¾ million players now registered, there’s never been a better time to play this great free-to-play MMO.”

ArchLord is a premier free-to-play online role-playing game allowing players to download and play the game for free with no monthly subscriptions or commitments. The online game challenges thousands of players each month to raise an army, to compete to become the game’s all-ruling ArchLord and with it control of the entire game world impacting on the lives of thousands of ArchLord players.

Wonderland Online: Scorpio Server Coming!

The Wonderland Online Team has announced that the Wonderland Online’s 8th Server – Scorpio will be here at the same time as the new version—Fairy’s Whisper.

The new version will be feature the release of the Rebirth System, Mercenary System, Forging System, Fairy Skills, four new civilization maps and much, much more… Surely, players will have a whole new Wonderland experience to look forward to!

Myth War II Review

by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer

Myth War II is a free fantasy MMORPG developed by IGG. It was first introduced to the gaming community on the 6th of June, 2008, entering the closed beta phase. Myth War II includes many interesting, unique, and generally amusing features. Without naming them all, there is: the summoning and shapeshifting system, as well as deity beasts and destructive weapons and the rebirth system. However, these were none but the elements that inspired the making of the game, being previously implemented in some form in Myth War, its preceding title. New, more exciting features were carefully thought up and were brought into the game, thanks to the great development team.

General Gameplay
Firstly, I’d have to say I wasn’t exactly impressed by the gameplay style. I liked the combat portion of the game, being a unique style of turn based combat, but the movement was very bland and the skills weren’t as amazing as they were glorified on the MWII website. However, as I’ve said, the combat is pretty interesting in game. One has many skills to choose from, and if you include all the interesting summoning and shapeshifting features, battles can be really amusing. There are four different races in the game: Humans, Centaur, Mage, and Borg. With these races, you can already determine there is some unique value to this title. I had a lot of fun fighting everything I saw for a short while, though it soon became repetitive. I assume the gameplay doesn’t stay repetitive for long, as you keep gaining new skills and such. You may also gain, and level pets to fight with you.

Questing
Finally, a game where questing is actually an asset to the development of your character! There are so many quests types, that I was in awe. There are: leveling quests, guild race quests, treasure hunt quests, integral quests, class advancement quests, plot quests, deific title quests, and more. Most quests are not the generic kill xx and gather xx types, being much more elaborate and interesting to follow. The rewards are somewhat mediocre, but the true reward is the accomplishment (cheesy, I know). As a result of having so many different quest types, you will enjoy following the plot of the game, as well as you will love participating with your guild for some hefty rewards. All in all, seeing how I wasn’t so impressed with the movement and overall gameplay, I can sincerely say that the questing does make up for some of the game’s drawbacks. Most next-gen MMORPGS do not have questing systems as in-depth as MWII.

Graphics and Sounds
Undoubtedly, this is where the game gets easily judged or turned down. The graphics for this game are way behind the times, seeing as they were all based on the older title: Myth Wars. However, some people, such as myself, are attracted to the classical gaming style, rather than the realistic power-guzzling MMORPGS currently on the market. I enjoyed the game’s graphical style, but even I found the desire to see some sort of improvement in this field. The sound however, was way overdone. In fact, they had too much extra effects and misc. sounds, that I was highly annoyed in little time. What really got me was the looping of a bird that was chirping… On that note, the background music was actually well done for the most part. The battle theme is not very fitting with the game, but it is very fast-paced and adrenaline rushing, in a certain context. It quickly reminded me of classic console RPGs. Keeping the background music on, and disabling other sound is a good choice while playing this title.

Personal Recommendation
I must admit, judging this game is very difficult. There is a pretty fine balance between the positive and negative aspects of this game, and therefore a strong standpoint cannot be addressed. If you enjoy classic gaming, or games such as Eudemons Online, or RedStone, you will most certainly love Myth Wars II (or maybe even Myth Wars)! If you are no fan of slower paced games and turn based MMORPGS, this game is simply not for you. I, personally, was impressed with the game. I was expecting an outdated MMO, when it was only released this year! This proves how looks can be very deceiving.

I thoroughly enjoyed the turn based combat, setting aside how complex it may seem at times; having so many units/pets to control. The character classes were very unique, and their skills and overall looks were great, but the customization factor is close to none? you will spot clones of your character quite often. The questing system made the game what it is, for me. It is very detailed, and well thought through. The service provided by the company is also very impressive, seeing as they are still continuously updating the previous title in the series of Myth Wars, as well as still hosting events; however, the cash shop they provide somewhat provokes unfairness. The same applies to Myth Wars II, indefinitely. I also enjoyed the community very much. There were many more people online than I had expected, however some were very childish, so be weary!

As for the features I did not enjoy so much, there is just as much to comment on. The movement was very uninteresting and I thought it to be a little boring, the sound is very obnoxious at times, aside from the background music, leaving my ears almost in pain, and the graphics are easily judged. The cash shop can be abused, leaving some players with advantages over others, which is usually an asset overlooked by companies who actually care for their community now-days. Lastly, the install file was really slow and not only did it take long to finish, it also left my computer in a nearly-frozen state the entire time. Needless to say, I was not very pleased.

Myth Wars II was a very pleasant surprise in my book. I had not expected this game to be so populated and flourishing in the state it is in, giving certain hope for gamers who enjoy classic MMORPGS. Despite the letdowns I have had while playing this game, I am still very satisfied with my experience in-game, and look forward to playing some more in the future. Try this out if you like turn based combat. It may change your perspective on gaming, just a little!

Pros
-Unique combat style
-Interesting Races
-Appealing background music
-Fun pet system
-Classical style
-Many events

Cons
-Outdated graphics
-Somewhat childish community
-Bland movement and mediocre controls
-Obnoxious sound effects

ACE Online

Game description: ACE Online is a 3D space shooter that combines action and MMORPG elements. Developed by MasangSoft, one of Korea’s most renowned game developers, ACE Online puts players in the role of fighter pilots and behind the controls of ships known as “Gears”. As the player battles in this intergalactic world at war, they will complete missions and engage other players in intense aerial dogfights.

ACE Online injects action and shooting elements into the traditional MMORPG formula. Players have complete control over their gear and must engage enemies directly in combat – relying on quick shooting and skillful maneuvering in order to survive. As players progress through the game, they acquire credits which can be used in the game’s item shop to purchase hundreds of customizable weapons and add-ons for their “gear”. Players can then fly their “gear” into immense online space battles as part of ACE Online’s “Nation Wars” PvP system. These RPG elements add a layer of personal customization and multiplayer strategy to ACE Online’s already action-packed gameplay. Through the blend of these two gameplay genres, ACE Online offers a fully unique and unrivaled MMO experience.