Monthly Archives: June 2009

Dungeons & Dragons Online: Eberron Announced

Turbine, Inc. announced today the start of the Beta program for Dungeons & Dragons Online®:  Eberron Unlimited (DDO Unlimited), a free digital upgrade for Dungeons & Dragons Online®: Stormreach. DDO Unlimited will raise the level cap and add major new content, as well as make the game free to play for everyone. The new DDO Unlimited delivers heart-pounding game play featuring the industry’s best combat system, a massive world with state-of-the-art graphics and gameplay, and a rich set of features that until now could only be found only in premium subscription-based MMOs.  Launching later this summer, DDO Unlimited will introduce an innovative new pricing model that allows players to download and play for free, purchasing adventure packs, items, and account services a la carte from the new DDO Store, or to subscribe to get unlimited access to all of the game’s content. Players interested in getting a sneak peak of the new DDO Unlimited can sign up for a chance to participate in the Beta program at ddo.com.
“Our team has spent years crafting DDO Unlimited into a powerhouse experience featuring cutting-edge graphics, a kick-ass combat system, high level content, and cutting-edge social tools.  Today marks a major milestone as we prepare to launch the world’s most exciting free MMO,” said Kate Paiz, Senior Producer. 
“Turbine is blazing a new trail with an innovative new pricing structure that will deliver a new era of choice for the growing market of online gamers, and we are very excited to invite players to work with us in the DDO Unlimited Beta program as we redefine how people play and pay for MMOs,” added Fernando Paiz, Executive Producer.
DDO Unlimited delivers the best combat of any MMO and the most heart-pounding action this side of a keyboard, plus a lot more!
* Brand New Content & Features – DDO Unlimited will deliver a new class, increase the level cap, introduce new adventure packs including a new 12-player raid, major combat improvements and more!
* The Fiercest Combat – DDO Unlimited features an extraordinary and heart stopping combat experience that requires players to fully engage in the battle by relying on their wits and reflexes in real time. No more clicking skills and watching the action from the sideline. 
* Mind-blowing Visuals – Explore a vast and dangerous online world that features the most advanced graphics in the industry and is stuffed with the legendary monsters, glorious treasures, devious traps, mind-bending puzzles and endless adventures from the world’s best known RPG.
* Full-featured MMO – Experience sophisticated systems found only in the best games including auctions, arena death matches (Player versus Player), NPC hirelings, gambling, crafting, and powerful social tools for finding a group, forming a guild or planning an epic raid!
* Easier Than Ever! – DDO Unlimited gets you playing in minutes instead of hours, using new proprietary Turbine technology. Creating a new character is incredibly simple with guides and templates that speed you through the process. Features an all-new new player experience that gives gamers their first taste of excitement quickly while teaching them how to play solo or with a group of fellow adventurers. 

Neverwinter Nights MMO In The Works?

There’s a rumour going around about a possible release of a Neverwinter Nights MMO in the future. Following Atari’s recent acquisition of Cryptic Studios, some websites have reported that the developer is working on a massively multiplayer online (MMO) version of Neverwinter Nights with an eyed 2011 release. No further details are available at the moment, but we’ll keep you updated!

Dragonica Goes Open Beta

Gala Networks Europe, operator of the gPotato.eu free-to-play MMORPG portal is proud to announce the public release of Dragonica as it enters Open Beta across Europe today. Developed by Barunson Interactive, Dragonica is a free arcade style 3D side-scrolling MMORPG for PC, and is available to download play for free with a gPotato.eu account in English, French and German.
 
After a successful Closed Beta Test during May and positive coverage in the games media, players across Europe will be able to experience Dragonica’s vibrant world of Dragotaka playing as one of four character classes in their mission to defeat the evil Dragon Lord Elga and return peace to the land. With a level cap rised to level 60, and two job changes, players will be able to experience up to twenty distinct character classes which evolve from the four base character classes on their desktop, notebook and netbook computers.
 
From today European players can download and play Dragonica for free, for life, experiencing classic combo-based combat, ten player PvP multiplayer modes, a wide variety of Guild, Trade and Community features and participate in fifty player battlegrounds in the game’s 25v25 Guild Emporia Wars.
 
Dragonica features fully localised text, audio and cinematic videos, combined with a community of thousands of players from every corner of Europe. The gPotato Europe team will also be running a variety of in-game events to welcome and entertain players.
 
To play Dragonica, simply sign up for a free gPotato.eu account at the official European website dragonica.gpotato.eu

Final Fantasy XIV

The legend of Final Fantasy has opened a new chapter, with a brand new massively multiplayer online game of unparalleled depth and beauty. Journey to the land of Hydaelyn and become an adventurer in a world full of both magic and sci-fi technology.

More than just a sequel to Final Fantasy XI, this is a whole new game with a very different approach to online gaming. Playing on your own is now just as rewarding as battling in groups and your character’s progression and growth is achieved by using and refining your existing skills, rather than just earning general experience points.

Likewise you can change jobs simply by taking up a different weapon or item, from sword to blacksmith’s hammer, although specialising in the game’s four disciplines (war, magic, land and hand) will always give you an advantage. The end result is a more accessible and varied experience than any other online game and the most exciting Final Fantasy yet.

Key Features

– Massive Fantasy: The first new online Final Fantasy since 2002 rewrites the rulebook on massively multiplayer online games, with more freedom and more action than ever.
– Job Training: Upgrade your character with dozens of skills and abilities through repeated practise, not arbitrary experience points, and change jobs in an instant.
– Fantasy Life: Play as one of five confirmed races, from humans (hyur) to cat people (miqo’te) and further customise your character with four sets of disciplines.
– Sole Survivor: Join a guild and battle with friends to complete a difficult quest, or carry on alone with a more balanced challenge that doesn’t penalise solo adventurers.
– World View: Stunning graphics portray the land of Hydaelyn in extraordinary detail, showing a far more varied world of high fantasy and sci-fi fiction.

Scions of Fate Review: Revisiting old Haunts

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), Onrpg writer
Scions of Fate is an oriental themed MMORPG from Netgame, the company that has provided the world games such as Operation 7, Ghost Online, Hero and Ares.
 
Scions of Fate revolves around the story of people who seek to understand the workings of the universe through the practice of Martial Arts. As the people started to evolve with the study, there came about two factions that believe on a certain principle in life emerged and because of the divergence of the two schools of thought a battle for supremacy had happen.
 
The Order, the school of thought that believed in the path of righteousness became the ruling order and those who did not join became the Chaos order.
 

Character Creation

Scions of Fate’s character creation system lets you choose from the get-go what job class your character has.  Besides the usual customization options you have, which are limited to changing hair color, voice and name, you are required to choose which job your character has. You can choose between: The Swordsman, Bladesman, Spearman, Bowman, Healer and the latest addition to the class, the Ninja.
 
Each job class has its own default character design which dictates how your character looks from the start of your Scions of Fate Experience. As you level and get promoted, your character’s design changes. The look of your character also changes as you wear various armors and weapons.
 

Faction System

Scions of Fate has a faction system that is directly related to the game’s whole storyline and gameplay. At level 35 you get to choose which of the two factions would you belong to. The Order and the Chaos factions are the two factions you have to decide on following.
 
Belonging to a faction gives your character a specific change in looks. When you choose a faction the costume design for your job class changes, as well as the title of your job. Next to the change of costume, you are also allowed to join the Authority Clash between the two factions which happens during the weekend.  Taking part in the Authority Clash is comparable to Siege wars in other games.
 
When you take part in Authority Clashes your goal is to take down as many opposing forces as possible, or manage to take down the statue of the opposing side. For each kill you earn points for your side. The faction that receives more points after the the Authority Clash ends, is the winner.
 

Houses

Another option that opens up for you after reaching level 35 is that you are given the chance to create your own House, or the Scions of Fate version of a guild.
 
Of course when you do create a house only members of the same faction may join in it. Houses also have their own leveling system and as you continue on leveling, your house will be given the opportunity to include more members, have its set of officers, take part in castle sieges, have house quests and get its own house uniform. To level the houses, members need to contribute gold and ki to the house before you can unlock the House privileges which is an interesting concept of enforcing elements of community, loyalty and belonging.
 

Pets

Scions of Fate also has its own pet system. The pet system acts as your character’s partner and could, if raised properly, be an important facet in your future in the game. You have four basic pet types in Scions of Fate, they are namely, The Mouse, Hawk, Leopard and Tiger. However, your pets can evolve to other kinds with the help of a premium shop item.
 
Your pets can attack defend and even provide support buffs for your character. Also, some are mountable like the Leopard and the Tiger which helps out on your travels in-game. Your pets can also wear clothes and armor like your character and can learn skills as well.
 

Conclusion

It has been a while since I logged into Scions of Fate and I must say that things looked almost the same since I last logged in two years ago.
 
The Scions of Fate then only had five job classes before and the inclusion of the Ninja job class is a refreshing addition to the game. The ninja class added something that the game really lacked which is a job class that really attacks fast and hits hard.
 
However, the character customization of the game has not changed since then and this is one of the things that I think that it should have had in spades because it would definitely clinch anyone who would like to say longer into the game.
 
Though it might be true that the premium shop of Scions of Fate does provide some sense of customization I would say that it’s not enough especially for those that seek a more in-depth character customization for a game that is as cute as this one.
Setting aside the lack of customization capabilities the game does in fact provide some glamour especially as you level up and stay longer. The higher your character level the more eye-catching your character will become.
 
The other thing that hasn’t changed in Scions of Fate is that the game is still a grind fest. This is one of the things that really turned me off the game. However, the game does provide help with the +25% +50% exp and ki boost events on certain times of the day.
 
Scions of Fate is a game that really does make you experience that you are part of a martial arts centered world, with the audio reminding you of kung-fu flicks of yesteryears, the character design, setting and even the philosophy behind the game really takes you away to a world where martial arts rule and your kung-fu philosophy practically shapes you, in the form of your character.
 
Though this may seem a turn off to most players, this is also the game’s attraction. If you are the type who prefers to go for fantasy rather than something down to earth yet flashy and elegant, then Scions of Fate is not for you.
 
Pros:
– The in-game audio really completes the oriental feel of the game
– Cute character design
– Combo system keeps battles in In-game interesting
Cons:
– Default character customization is limited and the rest is cash based
– The game is a grind fest especially if you are not going with the exp and ki boost events
– There’s nothing much you can do in the game besides questing and level grinding

Linage II Review: More Features And Gimmicks Than the Average MMO

By Kei Beneza (Dividelife), Onrpg writer
 
If you think you enjoyed the first Lineage game, then wait till you get a dose of its successor. Lineage II is a Massively Multiplayer Online game that shares the same mechanics as World of Warcraft and other broad exploring games. Lineage II’s graphics surpasses its predecessor by a mile, with a bunch of eye candy characters that are detailed to your satisfaction. Lineage II is rather PVP oriented compared to its old persona.
 
When I first started playing this game, I was surprised unto how beautiful the visuals were. The map alone was enough to tell me how big this world was, and the new Kamael expansion just added more places to visit.
 

Welcome to Lineage II!

 
First thing that caught my attention was the game’s line of characters. You won’t find a shard of ugliness among all the races. In fact, I was pretty surprised after seeing the hot orc women (cuz trust me, You don’t see hot orcs in this era). When was the last time you saw an orc that looked like Vin Diesel with hair? If not, now’s your chance. Races are mainly composed of the default mythical races namely: humans, elves, dark elves (drows) and so forth. The Kamael however, is a new breed of one winged angels (geez how original) who dress up like Victorian aristocrats. This new race managed to enter the war after the Kamael patch was implemented. 
 
The graphic detail is quite amazing. Characters look well rendered, not to mention their armor that greatly compliments their looks. The character creation system lets you pick your race and of course your corresponding class. Know that each race has their own set of classes that tends to be different from other races regardless of whether they’re both spell casters or not. During the character creation phase you’ll be asked to pick your character’s gender, hairstyle and face. It’s not much but they do have a lot of em so you wont have to worry about seeing a clone. You’ll start out with your race’s default class which will of course branch out into different class trees as you reach certain levels.
 
The game has a lot of classes from where your default class can evolve to. A dark elf for example can take the road of an assassin after reaching a certain level. He will then be able to move on to being a Phantom Ranger who will then be able to turn into a Ghost Sentinel.
 
As you can see, that alone is just a small part of what your characters’ outcome would be. The long array of classes would pretty much get anyone into creating tons of new characters just to be able to try em all. This factor alone boosts the game’s replay value by a mile.

SKILLZ DAT KILLLZ!!!

Skills are more or less acquired through gold or ingame money. Most of them can be learned through your skill tree but some of em however, can only be acquired through proper purchase. Skills look amazing and tantalizing for both physical units and spell casters. The Dynamic lighting effects while executing  skills makes combat quite additive, and getting to hear your characters say they HOOAAAs and YAAAs totally enhances your combat experience. 
 

Sightseeing: Always A Treat

 
After creating my first character (a dark elf fighter), I found myself awestruck after seeing the Dark elves’ town. The visuals were really amazing, for every area that I come across tends to be different from the rest. The map was huge, giving me an impression that it would most likely be impossible to explore it in a span of a week. It’s always a big plus for a game to have a big map, mostly because nothing rewards a player better than getting to see another part of the world. The whole forest-dungeon- town doesn’t seem so appealing now a days, so I guess this means that Lineage II has something that players should look forward to.
 

The Best Is Yet To Come

 
The game lets players transform into various beings (most of which are race-tied) that grant them more power than their default characters could ever muster. This helps when you’re doing PVP or when you’re up against stronger enemies.
Since this game revolves around PVP, I guess you’re looking for something different. Yes, the game lets guilds own castles throughout the game. Once marked as your territory, other guilds or races can lure you into something that’s called a castle siege. In this scenario, you’ll battle it out in an all out war against your suppressors. Pretty neat eh?
 
What really caught my attention though were two cursed swords that randomly appear in the world of Lineage II. The Zariche and Akamanah are two separate items that grants a player surreal powers. Once a player gets a hold of either swords, their name turns red and must continuously kill other players in order to further enhance the sword’s lifespan. Once a player dies, the sword disappears and that player returns to their old self. It is pretty cool when you look at it. You can probably kill a lot of people during a castle siege, provided that your teammates don’t kill you first.
 

Sounds

 
In game music is complete epic and really boosts the efficiency of role play. Either that or it completely lets players build their own personal relationship with the game. Each area has its own background music if not complete silence. Sure the game could use more music but hey! The sound effects were pretty good.
 

The big OUCH

 
Lineage respects the Karma system that limits players from killing other players. For a PVP type game, this is pretty dull and would definitely destroy the factor of PVP. Players who kill more than they’re supposed to enters a certain mode wherein they will no longer be able to enter towns (you could try… but the guards would probably kill you before you touch the gates). You can get rid of this curse by killing monsters (a lot of em) or by doing the repentance quest which is a bit hard to do. I even made another character after my Dark Elf’s name turned red. Since the repentance quest is quite hardcore (meaning you’ll get to visit places that characters of your level cant handle), I guess it’s better to just start over and make a new one. I know they were trying not to encourage people to camp other players but this completely kills the player’s love for PVP. I mean, the siege wars doesn’t completely cut it anyway.
 

The verdict

 
This is definitely one of the big MMOs. The in game graphics are superb and matches the most up to date games. The ultimate PVP experience? Maybe, but castle sieges are pretty good anyway. As for the cursed swords, I really cant wait to try em out. It must be really fun to kill other characters while wielding an unholy sword. This game is character creation at its finest. A game that has more features and more gimmicks than the average MMO. Should you play it? Absolutely!
 
Pros:
– Superb graphics
– Unique gimmicks
– Excellent map with a lot of areas for you to visit
 
Cons:
– Needs more BGM
– The karma system is overkill
– Probably needs a bit more than just the face and hair customization (ever heard of increase bust?)

Grand Chase To Introduce New Class

Ntreev USA, a leading online game developer and publisher, announced today that it will unveil an all-new character for its action-adventure MMO brawler, Grand Chase this  week. As the 8th member of the Grand Chase, Jin joins the chase to search for Luther, the leader of the Silver Knights, and finds himself infatuated with Amy.
“Jin is a fantastic addition to the Knights of Grand Chase,” said Chris Lee, CEO at Ntreev USA.  “Next week the North American Grand Chase gamers will experience the speed, strength and force of this melee madman and his ability to really burn things up.”
About Jin
Jin is a melee-specialist from the Silver Land and a member of the Silver Knights who is a fast, heavy attacker with very short range. Jin has three classes, the first job being Fighter where he uses his fists and feet to attack.  He also possesses the unique ability to “burn,” a special ability that makes him stronger and changes his skills. Jin can charge the gauge and use the charge to perform special attacks or improved skills. If the bar is fully charged, Jin will go into “burn” mode making several new attacks available and boosting his skills and attack power; however the charge bar will quickly drain in burn mode. In addition, Jin also has the ability to dash through opponents during their mid-combo attacks.

Monato Esprit Announces Final Beta

Reality Gap, Inc. announced that its upcoming Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game, Monato Esprit, will launch its Final Beta today.  Monato Esprit is a fantasy role-playing game in which players assume the role of winged Archons whose mission is to rid the Dreamworld of an invasion by nightmares.  As a unique component of the game, players control the economy by having the exclusive right to sell items in the stores, commanding non-player characters (NPCs) to charge tolls, and performing alchemy to create custom magic items.
Slated for commercial launch next month, players can experience Monato Esprit for free by registering for the Final Beta at monatoesprit.com.  Players who participate in this Final Beta will be able to keep their characters, as well as all of their items, when the game launches in July.
“We are excited to enter the final beta phase of Monato Esprit,” said J. Mark Hood, chief operating officer of Reality Gap, Inc. “We’ve received thousands of suggestions from our fans and have incorporated these changes which uniquely combine the economy of a virtual world in the setting of a role-playing game.”

Angels Online: Monsters in The Desert

As summer gets into full swing, the hot weather has inspired the Angels Online team from IGG to discuss the monsters inhabiting the desert maps included in their newest expansion, House Party.
Smokers
These demons stalk the dunes, always looking to cause trouble. They are formed from the swirling dust of violent sandstorms and imbued with magic to give them shape. Violent and temperamental, like the winds that created them, they can be very aggressive.
Desert Worms
These slippery dune snakes are fierce and cunning. Launching attacks from under the feet of their prey, they will often surprise their target when they least expect it. The only warning is the shaking of the sand as they get closer. Their long dusty bodies slide through the sand with ease, aided by multitudes of eyes and teeth all over. Nobody has ever managed to describe them without using the word ‘disgusting’.
Blago Miners
These rotten creatures wander the desert on the lookout for whatever warm body may cross their path. Bloodthirsty, but not aggressive, they will only attack if you come close enough.
Centaurs
The Centaurs are one of the oldest tribes in the desert. They roam the dunes on 4 legs, galloping like the wind between their camps. They are excellent hunters, and familiar with all life living in the desert. Tough and brutal, they have not taken sides in the conflict with the Evil Lyceum, instead greeting all who are not part of their tribes with fierce attacks.
 
Grey-haired Demons
These terrifying demons are the worst the Evil Lyceum has to offer in the desert. They are cool, as much as one can be in the desert, calculating, and evil to the core. Once you see the pair of sharp horns that jut from their ‘head’, it may already be too late…

Russian Porn Star Tattoos WoW Gold Site

The site pravda.ru is reporting the following news:
 
A WoW gold site offered a lucrative deal to Russia’s 19-year-old porn star Anna Morgan. The star of adult films will have the logo of the company’s website tattooed on her breasts for the period of two years. Anna will be paid $500,000 for the tattoo.
 
A press release from WoW Gold said that the deal was signed and the fee was paid to the woman. Spokespeople for the company said that the money had not been wasted because there was enough space on Anna’s large bosom (with no implants) to advertise the company, NewsruIsrael website reports.
Managers of the company, which sells computer games, decided to choose a star of adult movies to target the male audience. When selecting the candidates, the company took account of their future activities in the porn industry. Anna Morgan, a native of the town of Zeya, Russia’s Amur region, will participate in 50-100 adult films a year.
Anna Morgan is 19. She goes in for tennis, hockey and computer games. The woman recently signed a contract with Top Studios (Los Angeles, California). It is not known whether Top Studios is going to receive anything from Anna’s tattoo deal. Anna will have the company’s logo tattooed on her breasts on June 15 this year.
 
(source: pravda.ru)