Monthly Archives: June 2009

Shaiya Review: Light Vs Dark

By Jeffrey Kerkdijk (Hyarume), Onrpg writer

Shaiya Online is a MMORPG developed by  Asian company Sonov Entertainment, and published by Aeria Games. Shaiya features two factions to join, six classes, and  gameplay which relies on teamwork. Shaiya is a game that is played by a lot of people all over the world.

 

Let’s start out!

The basic story behind the game is that there was one goddess long ago and she was split into two sides. One light and one darkness.

The first thing you notice when you log into Shaiya is that you will have choose between two factions. You can pick either the country of light or the country of the fury. The country of the light has the Human race and the Elf race and the fury side has their Vail en the Nordain races. The Nordain race is also known as the Death eaters.

Every race has its own appearance and all of the playable races can be male or female they all have several customization options. You can change the hairstyle, eyes, facial features and height of all the races.

Both sides have the same classes to choice from although they have different names. But when it comes to creating your character Shaiya has a new thing for you! Difficulty modes. You have the easy mode and normal mode available at your first play. You can unlock two more modes: hard and ultimate.

Easy mode gives you the fastest experience rate to level but you won’t get any special skills and you cannot level further than level 30. Normal mode gives you a lower experience rate than Easy mode does, you will get more skills than you do on easy mode, But not all of them. However, with normal mode you can level to the maximum level which is 60.

Hard mode can be unlocked when you hit level 40 on a normal mode character. You will get the exclusive hard mode skills, but not the exclusive ultimate mode skills. Experience rate this time again is lower than on normal mode. And you get seven stat points every level, instead of five.

And after having reached level 40 on hard mode, the final mode is unlocked ultimate mode. This mode gives you all the skills in the game, and is really hard to level and this time you get nine stat points every level. But there is a catch: if you die you must be resurrected within three minutes; this can be done with a cash shop item or with a priest/oracles spell. If you don’t get resurrected within these three minutes your character will be deleted permanently.

I think that this is an interesting concept for an MMORPG as it does add a lot of replay value to the game. But I also think that this can be a bit overwhelming also it can be a game you simply don’t want to get into because of it.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Shaiya Online is like an  console-action game mixed with a  MMORPG, with smooth WASD the ability to jump over and on things and combat that can get pretty intense. Quests aren’t much different from other MMORPGs on the market. This means you have the talk/kill quests here as well. Combat is amazing, it seems like there  is little or no delay when you are in combat and everything seems to work fluently. You can even dodge attacks by sidestepping!

There is an armor and weapon upgrade system in the game, you can get mounts to ride on as well. These mounts will make moving around a lot easier.

There are challenges in the game that you can’t do on your own, you do them in groups. A typical tank, healer, damage dealer setup is used most of the time. Also some of these challenges require some serious tactics.

 

The borderlands

The borderlands are lands that both opposing factions share, the faction of light and fury. Since you are enemies, you can attack all players from your opposing faction within that area. This will mean that in those areas you can PvPvE. (player versus player versus environment) This adds a lot of depth to the game, and makes playing it much more exiting.

You can also dual with other players, just for fun! You can dual against any character from your own faction all you need to do is select the player and select dual. Then you and the other player can fight against each other to see who is the strongest or to see who has the best tactic to win.

 

Visuals and sound

Shaiya looks great the character models look nice, the animations look awesome, and the atmosphere in the game is great. The game world looks detailed and has a lot of variation, monsters look different from what you see in most MMORPGs. It looks great.

Another thing noticeable is the sound of the game, the music in the game adds a lot to the feeling of a fantasy world when you are playing the game. When you discover a new place you will hear some new music. It really feels good when you are playing it. I can’t imagine playing the game without its music. It would not be the same.

 

Personal recommendation

Shaiya online is a great online game, the difficulty modes add a lot of depth and replay value to the game. The quests in the game are just like other MMORPGs, they aren’t really renewing. There is little story to the game.

The borderlands are lands where PvP is enabled, you can only attack players from the faction that you oppose. But it is a fun way of engaging in PvP while you can continue to play PvE. In these lands you can PvPvE.

If you are looking for an MMORPG with a great combat system. Look no further Shaiya is a game for you!

Pros:
– Difficulty modes
– PvPvE
– Great combat system
– Graphics and sound
– Mounts

Cons:
– Difficulty modes
– chance to lose a character for good in ultimate mode.

HolyBeast Online Launched!

CyberStep Communications, Inc.  is pleased to announce the starting of our Official Service of Free-to-Play MMORPG “HolyBeast ONLINE” as its second title, after the first title SplashFighters.
 
We are so pleased to deliver this news to all who has waited for a long time for HolyBeast ONLINE Official Service. “HolyBeast ONLINE” is MMORPG that you switch back and forth from cute animal form into a human form at will and aim to be a “hero” with other players. You will find versatile contents which include various skills, community function, monsters and pets. To celebrate this well day, we are going to hold “Item Mall Discount Campaign” from the start of Item Mall to the end of June. Additionally we are planning for more events, thus we would like all players to check further information at getamped.com.

Runes Of Magic: Elves Are Coming

In September 2009 Frogster is to turn over a new leaf for Runes of Magic with a second chapter. In the upcoming ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’, the name giving elven will find their way into the game world Taborea. A widely branching background story entwines about the fairylike race with many new challenges that are going to be told in lots of new quests and new quest rows. Thus, ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ will lead players into new game regions characterized by elven lore like an elven island at the shore of Ravenfell.
After having lived in secrecy for ages, the elves are surrounded by an aura of mystery and aloofness. Nevertheless they are considered as one of Taborea’s oldest peoples. Because of their particular affinity with nature, the elves are mostly to be found in the remote and undisturbed areas of Taborea’s large forests. Members of the elven people are characterized by an extraordinary intelligence and dexterity. Their metal-working skills are on a par with those of the dwarves, whereas their style is much more filigree. The design of elvish weapons is of great elegance, almost fragility. But in the hands of an elvish fighter, they reveal an impressive effectiveness. A decisive influence on the effects of the elvish weapons derives from their owner’s purity and affinity with nature. Because of their esthetical value, the renowned elvish long swords and longbows are of great attractiveness for humans, too. But only the elves themselves possess the mental skills necessary to handle such elegant weapons.
Yore, the elvish kingdom has been located in the area of the present Aslan valley. Therefore the valley is also known as ‘The Origin’. The elven kingdom was shattered in the time of the primeval war between against the demons. After an oracle prophecy, a part of the elven people abandoned the area under prince Isnasil to keep clear of the conflict. A second faction under king Antaikolon affronted the combat. To avoid such confrontations for the future, the elven king had a magical wall erected in the aftermath to hold back the evil Naga people being allied with the demons. By inserting the holy elven sword ‘Arclight’ into the wall, he rendered it unsurmountable. Since that time, the descendants of the elven fighters around Antaikolon served as guardians and paladins of the holy sword ‘Arclight’ dedicating themselves devotedly to the enlargement of their martial arts. When elven prince Sig’aylas removed the holy sword ‘Arclight’ from the wall hundreds of years later to defend his human truelove, the wall perished and the naga threat flared up once again. With the upcoming ‘Chapter II – The Elven Prophecy’ for Runes of Magic, the elven people will enter the game world of Taborea. Starting with September 2009 players will be able to play their part.

Introducing Dragon Oath

A new MMO is going to launch in the western market! Read the announcement below:
 
Greetings to All Future Players of “Dragon Oath”
 
We, ChangYou.Com (US) Inc., welcome all and are proud to introduce our first Free-To-Play MMORPG title “Dragon Oath”!  It has earned over 30 million global players over the past two years, and finally it is just about to arrive in the U.S.!
This landing page is made to pre-introduce about “Dragon Oath” before we launch its first official website later this month! Please feel free to look around to have a glimpse.  As we are going to update more information and screenshots with a firm launching schedule very soon, please visit our page frequently to keep yourself updated!
For more information about “Dragon Oath,” please visit the official landing page: http://do.us.changyou.com

The Agency

The Agency is a spy-themed MMO shooter. It is being developed and published by Sony Online Entertainment studios in Seattle for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 3.
The game will feature FPS-style gun fighting (with the ability to switch between third and first person views), with some driving and other vehicular segments as well. Skill will be the primary determining factor in the success of the player, though some RPG elements will come into play as well. The game will also include relevant subgames and minigames, among them casino games such as Texas hold ’em, which can be played for fun or can be used to initiate instance missions, such as losing or winning enough games to draw the attention of an NPC.

Apocalypse Board Review: Chess Pieces That Rock

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), Onrpg writer
 
Apocalypse Board Online is a strategy browser MMO from Nightmakers. The game circles around the battle between good and evil in the world which are symbolized by Angels and Demons.  Your part in all this is to use either Angels or Demons in a chessboard like battle of supremacy.
 
Units in Apocalypse Board Online are like chess pieces. The difference is that the upper parts of the pieces are either Angels or Demons. You play on a chessboard like it’s a battlefield and the game is turn-based. The player who has units left on the board wins.
 
Each battle gives corresponding experience for your units and like normal MMOs, your units also level up. As your units level up they get tougher and their attacks get stronger.  You can also purchase units that are well-suited to your playing style just as long as it doesn’t go over the initial space that you are provided with.
 

Angels and Demons

Angels have ten units available you can use. They are namely: assassin, baedal, fortress, knight, mon, stormspeller, wizard, titan, dancer and priestess.
 
As a starting line-up for those who belong to the angel side, you get to have an assassin, a fortress, a knight and a wizard all of which start of as level 1 units. You can buy the other classes from the judge as long as you have enough gold in your account. The demons on the other hand have only four units that you can use. They are: the psychodemon, nightmaker, howler and the pyrodemon. For the demon’s starting lineup you get to have one unit of each class. You can also buy other units of the same type from the judge as well.
 

Battle Proper

To start off a battle in Apocalypse Board Online, you have to go to the Pit to where there are 15 pillars where you can put your avatar. The avatars are either an angel or a demon and they represent the side you belong to.  Besides the 15 pillars the game also has 5 arenas to choose from, so if one arena is full then you can just move on to the next and so on.
 
Once another player clicks your pillar or you click a pillar with a single avatar the battle ensues. The game’s battle system is turn based and there is a timeline where you can see which unit moves first. You are allotted 30 seconds to move if it’s your turn and if you don’t move within the time the game automatically ends your turn and the next unit to move is next.
 
Once you character’s turn is over, you will immediately see that the battlefield will emit blue boxes, this would serve as your character’s movable areas. Once you finish moving, or stay put you can do the various actions your unit can do.
 
Whoever loses all his units first in a battle loses, and each battle, whether you win or lose, would give your unites experience points and even gold that you can use.
 

Conclusion

Apocalypse Board Online is a game that’s simple yet very addictive especially if you are into tactical games. The units look like chess pieces that were given heads of angels or demons depending which side you choose.
 
The game is a refreshing view on the battle between good and evil which has been symbolized by the use of the most commonly used symbolisms which are namely the angel for good and the demons for evil.
 
However, this concept of good and evil doing battle on a chess board like setting has its drawbacks. The novelty of using angels and demons as chess pieces in this came would immediately wear off and that the core problems of the game would emerge.
 
For one thing, Apocalypse Board Online has a very low population. Normally, this wouldn’t be much of a problem especially for browser based games. The problem is that you can’t go into battle if you have no one to fight with.  The game is highly dependent on the amount of players who are currently logged into the arena. Without them you’re will stare at a blank arena for who knows how long.
 
The game’s next problem would be the lack of GMs. Usually this isn’t much of an issue for browser games, however, for Alpocalypse Board Online, I think this would help a lot for players to make them at least try and enjoy the whole game experience. The game is already slow-paced and it would help at least that you can hear some tunes besides the game SFX.
 
Another thing about the game is that at first glance things would seem a bit unbalanced especially in the number of units per side. The angels have ten types of different units while the demons have only four. Of course there’s this saying that goes that it’s not the number of units that win a war, it’s how you use them, but having this clear imbalance in unit types can discourage people from using demons or even try out the game.
 
Apocalypse Board Online tries to balance out the unit distribution by making demons stronger on later levels. This counter balance of units may seem good at first glance, but this definitely leads to further balance issues on later stages of the game especially when players get to have higher levels. As of the moment though it seems everything is still working swell.
 
As a strategy game, Apocalypse Board Online is a good game that you can try out. Even with the balance issues that may haunt the game, the biggest problem it faces is its low population. As long as the game has no subscribers the game might as well be dead. No people in the game means no battles and what would a strategy game be if there are no battles to strategize?
 
Pros:
– The game is easy to understand
– Simple gameplay
– A new look to strategy games
Cons:
– Low population
– Slow-paced gameplay
– Camera view hinders the playing field

Mana Energy Potion Product Review

By Roxane, Onrpg Senior Editor
 
As a gamer and somewhat of a geek I was tickled pink when I discovered a company called “Mana Energy Potion”. After the link was sent to me by a good friend, an avid D&D player and LARPer (live-action role-player), I marveled at a website in full fantasy design which offered real potions; energy drinks shaped like the famous mana and health potions we know from adventure games of all shapes and sizes.
 
Naturally we at Onrpg had to order some to try them out, so we ordered some Health Potions. Clearly it is an energy drink, it would have to be, being a potion. The composition of the potion is comparable to highly caffeinated energy drinks. Something that will really make you bounce. I’m already thinking of ‘keeping it until I need it most’.
 

The Nature of Potions

It’s almost a law of nature (or maybe more of code) that gamers must be intrigued by a drink like this. Potions are one of the fundamental elements of games since some of the earliest (the Ultima Series from the 1980s, or The Legend of Zelda released in 1987). Some games even had potions that could kill you (Prince of Persia, 1990). In these games, the potions would randomly lie around and they would supplement your existing count of HP or MP (health or mana points). Because of potions, we associate red with ‘health’ and blue with ‘mana’.

Health Energy Potion

Health Energy Potion

In the later MMOs they could even be crafted so you would no-longer depend on adventuring to acquire the potions, but you could choose to be a mage to create them or level a trade-skill like alchemy to craft them. Nearly every game, whether offline or online, has this concept of potions. It’s the simplest and yet one of the most consistent elements in game-design to date.

 
The shape and size are exactly as a gaming potion ought to be. Although at first I was slightly shocked- it was much smaller than I expected, I have to admit it fits neatly into the palm of a hand, and would just as easily slip into a pocket or a backpack. To consider the concept of a potion, this is quite perfect. The bottle itself looks quite sturdy and it has a nice clear label with a sword ripping through the title of the potion.
 

The Taste

Well, I have to do some ripping myself. As energy drinks should be used sparsely, you cannot expect them to have a gentle soothing taste like candy. But this one, the Health Potion, turned my world upside down – no, literally. Clearly a really evil wizard is trying to transform me into something with this concoction…
 

I’ll have to admit that I’m not very good with strong tastes and this has a damn strong taste! It’s super sweet, chemical and the energy just trickles down your tongue. Candy-squared! It’s so chemical you can nearly feel it as it heavily lands on your stomach and changes your perception of gravity for a moment. This is a heavy drink, people – not for the light-hearted! Only the strongest warriors, or those with an exceptionally sweet tooth should be advised to drink them as a sport! Otherwise, keep them (since they look so great) until you need them most!

In short, an absolute wanna-have! Drinking them is at your own risk! Find these potions at http://www.manapotions.com!

Asda Story Introduces New PvP Combat System

San Jose-based online game publisher, Gamescampus.com, announced today that it has launched the new Faction Warfare Player Vs. Player (PvP) combat system in its popular MMORPG, Asda Story asdastory.gamescampus.com/.
As part of the new system, players may select from one of the following Factions which will serve as their character’s PvP allegiance against other players’ Factions in the weeks to come:  Light, Darkness, and Chaos. After players have selected which Faction they would like to fight for, they may apply for scheduled Faction War Battlefield matches that pit the three opposing Factions against one another in a fight to capture Fortresses around a special Battlefield Map, with additional warfare maps to follow soon.
Up to 30 players from each Faction may join in the fight, with up to 90 players mixing it up in intense combat at one time.
As each Battlefield fills, new ones will open to accommodate every player that wishes to participate in the fighting.  Faction teams are balanced for each Battlefield based on level and number of players participating to ensure even, heart pounding fights every time.  Split into Attack Units with Attack Captains leading their troops into the field, players are able to gain Warfare Points both by defeating players of the other Factions in direct combat, or capturing Fortresses owned by the other Factions located around the map.
The more players fight and compete in the Faction Wars, the more Experience, Honor Points, and Honor Coins they will receive towards special Faction Warfare items and gear that is not available anywhere else in the game.  In addition, they will gain PvP Rankings to unlock access to even better and more powerful items.
Based on a colorful, bright and cheerful world, Asda Story is a free to play exciting fantasy-style anime 3D MMORPG game that features a unique ‘Soul Mate System.’  The unique party system offers two players the ability to align to become ‘soul mates’ in-game and grants them access to unique perks and the ability to activate special powers together with their Soul Mate. Another key feature of the game is the ‘Real Costume System,’ which gives players some of the most extensive personalization and design options ever seen in an MMORPG.