Yearly Archives: 2009

All Points Bulletin Announced!

Electronic Arts Inc. and Realtime Worlds, Inc. announced today that they have entered an exclusive marketing and distribution agreement for North America and Europe that will bring the highly-anticipated  All Points Bulletin (APB) to PC in early 2010. Founded by industry veteran David Jones, creator of Lemming’s, Grand Theft Auto 1&2 and Crackdown, Realtime Worlds’ latest project takes the universal theme of Criminals and Enforcement and brings it to a persistent, open world multiplayer setting in a modern, crime-ridden city.

“After a few years of quietly working on APB I’m extremely excited to be able to show it publically for the first time” said David Jones, Founder and Creative Director of Realtime Worlds. “To also be able to announce our marketing and distribution agreement with EA Partners at the same time is the cream on top. It’s very evident that EA Partners are clearly in-sync with our vision for APB and between us we aim to ensure gamers understand why it’s unique, and share our excitement”
 
“Throughout his career David Jones has continually forged new creative paths in interactive entertainment,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager, EA Partners. “David and the team at Realtime Worlds are set to do it once again with APB. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with them in introducing online persistence to 3rd person, open-world action games and defining a new category within the genre.”

APB is a new breed of online game, set in a persistent living, breathing open-world urban environment where fame and fortune awaits all players. Some players will achieve this by feeding on the city, its people and its businesses… the Criminals. Some will live by a higher code and instead feed on the criminals and their organizations…the Enforcers. This dynamic where players become the core content for other players is one of the many unique features of APB. Its deep, rich customization system provides players with the ability to completely personalize their identity. Looks, clothing, vehicles and even music, all to astonishing detail and quality.

Red War Closed Beta Started

Uforia, a new online game publisher specializing in massively multiplayer online games, announced today that it would begin the Closed Beta Test for Red War: Edem’s Curse.  This game is an exciting free-to-play online MMORPG which takes gamers through the worlds of Meltya and Alies.  Gamers can choose from three classes as they battle the dark forces of Qelian and the inhabitants of Meltya and attempt to prevent their peaceful world of Alies from being overtaken.
The Closed Beta provides an opportunity to gamers to be among the first ones to play this game and to provide the publisher with feedback about various aspects of the game.  Gamers will be able to test out a variety of game play systems and features alongside hundreds of players from all over the world. 
The Closed Beta will begin on June 2nd at 5 PM PST and will end at 9 PM PST.  The final two hours (7 PM-9 PM PST on June 5th) of the Closed Beta will feature a continuous PVP (Player vs. Player) battle.  During this PVP battle period where gamers will be able to engage in massive group battles.
“This Closed Beta gives gamers a chance to be the first ones to play the latest addition to our line-up”, said Mike Min, Game Operations Producer.
 
About Red War: Edem’s Curse
Red War: Edem’s Curse is an exciting free-to-play online MMORPG which takes gamers through the worlds of Meltya and Alies.  Gamers can choose from three classes as they battle the dark forces of Qelian and the inhabitants of Meltya and attempt to prevent their peaceful world of Alies from being overtaken. 
Red War: Edem’s Curse is an isometric MMORPG in the vein of Diablo and other dungeon crawlers.   But Red War: Edem’s Curse revolutionizes dungeon crawlers with new features such as the Red War tournaments.  These daily tournaments are a pure test of skill, and not character level or equipment.  All participants are set to the same level at the beginning of the tournament, and only stats and skills are allowed to be customized.
The game also offers players a Clone System.  This system gives players the ability to create a clone of their original character which can be used to perform a variety of tasks while the original character pursues more adventurous activities such as battles and quests. Another popular game feature are the Castle Sieges which provide group combat opportunities and provide the winning guild with their own castle and access to special locations and features.

Eudemons: New Patch

We are glad to inform you that Patch 1202 has been released to open EO’s 3rd Anniversary Event – Seraph Celebration after the sever maintenance on Jun.1st. The celebration contains 6 quests, from Jun.2nd to Jun.7th.
 
During the event, players who pass the quests will gain different amounts of Divine Points that can be dedicated to God to win EPs. Besides, they can exchange 200 Divine Points for a fortune coin which can be used to obtain EXP, increase attack, gold, God’s blessing and even communicate with God. 1 fortune coin can be used for 10 times
Scroll down for some brief details of the events:
 
Top Boxer
It’s said that Hephaestus is the best boxer in the Divine world. In honor of Hephaestus, hundreds of boxers gather to compete for the Top Boxer title in Cronus and the reward from Hephaestus Envoy.
 
Wrestling Game
Ares is skilled in wrestling, but this fabulous skill has never been seen since Ares died. In memory of Ares, there will be a wrestling game held in Cronus. It’s a competition of team spirit. You should make a team with 5 members who are level35+.
 
Roaring Fefnir
Poseidon is famous for killing the Fefnir in ancient times. However, the Fefnir have appeared again recently. If you can help Poseidon kill the Fefnir, you’ll obtain rewards from the Poseidon Envoy.
 
Funny Pumpkins
This little quest might remind you of some happy Halloween memories. Get the pumpkin seed from Demeter Servant and grow it. Pumpkin Carver in Cronus will help you carve it into a Pumpkin Lantern after it’s mature. It can be used to claim a Diamond Medal from Demeter Servant.
 
Magic Memory
Almost all of us once dreamed of being a treasure-hunter. Now is the chance to make the dream come true. Ask Michael or Friel to send you into the Saraph Altar. Arcos will tell you more about it.
 
Annoying Mice
It sounds incredible that Artemis is afraid of mice, but it’s the truth. The mice are really annoying. If you can help the Artemis envoy kill these disgusting mice, you will receive a big reward.

Rakion Review: Intense Fights In Instances

 
By Mohammed Afzal (MageMoa), Onrpg Journalist
Rakion is a popular 3D room based game which has been developed by Softnyx. The game has been released four years ago and it is still crowded by many players, but what makes it so special? It isn’t just a regular 3D MMOG. No, Rakion offers us more than just mindless grind and repetitive combat. With its unique gameplay, third-person shooter combat and challenging classes, Rakion has been able to attract many kinds of players. The only thing that makes everyone have their doubts about Rakion is that the game will not always be able to answer to our needs. The question is: how long will Rakion’s popularity last?

Storyline

The storyline of Rakion brings us to another world full of magic and wars. It tells us the story about the origin of Rakion and how everything has started. The story is great and can be found on Softnyx’ site. Let me quote a part of the story. The following story has been taken from the site of Softnyx’ Rakion.
 
Once upon a time, there was a time when monsters ruled over the world and human beings were merely a small community. White Dragons, the king of the monsters, worried about the world becoming deserted and despaired due to the exceeding number of monsters. Therefore, they kept the balance between the monsters by waking up from their hibernation and eliminating any monster species that threatened to take over the world by overpopulating themselves.
 
However, one day, humans tried to take over the world by learning and training themselves with higher level of knowledge and magic than the monsters. The White Dragons started to wake up from their hibernation slowly, and the King of the humans, Zadro, tried to make truce with the White Dragons, but realized that it was out of his abilities to do so. Therefore Zadro tried to slow, or even to stop the attacks from the Dragons by actually going to their castle. The White Dragons watched the humans in
interest because unlike monsters, they tried to reach an agreement through compromising, and they had the bravery that risked even their own lives.
 
Finally the White Dragons decided to give the humans another 500 years and went back to hibernation. The leaders of the Dragons transformed their form of life to something else and soared into the sky with traces of glitter behind them. The remaining White Dragons told Zadro: ‘The leaders are always connected with this world, but will only watch and never come back on their own will. They will certainly keep their promise, but can you? Our waiting may bear a disaster, not mercy.’
 
The storyline has four chapters, but there are many different variations written by the players of the game. The story has practically nothing to do with your adventures in the game, which is really sad. It only tells us about the history of Rakion and how it was possible that Rakion became what it is today.

Gameplay

Rakion is an instance based game, which means that there is no open, free world where players are able to meet each other. You will have to create a room to allow your friends (and others) to join. There is basically no other way to communicate with each other in the game.
The combat of the game is very unique. It could be seen as a variant of a third-person shooter game. You can walk by using the WASD keys and you will have to use your mouse to attack; There is no point and click combat, which means that you have to aim.
The most unique part of the combat of the game is the Cell System. This system involves challenging combat and is not a system which can be mastered in one day.
The Cell System basically allows the players to summon creatures. These creatures will be a great support to your team and they will fight against the creatures of your opponents which will lead to a great battle.
Other than that, Rakion offers us six different game modes. Let me explain them briefly: Solo Death Match: This is another feature that shows us that the game is partly a third-person shooter. You will be on your own and you will basically have to kill as many players as you can while trying to stay alive.
 
Team Death Match: The team version of Death Match. You and your team members will have to kill the other team while trying to survive.
 
Basic Mode: One of my least favorite modes of the game. This mode resets the stats of a player to level 1 (equipment stats still apply, though) and you will not be able to summon cells (except the lowest level one).
 
Boss War: An amusing and challenging mode. One player is the “boss” of the team and the other team members should protect him with their lives. If the boss dies, the game is over.
 
Stage: The only real PvE (Player versus Environment) mode. A team of 1 to 4 players will have to do a mission and afterwards they will be rewarded with a grade depending on how fast they actually have completed the mission.
 
Golem War: The most challenging and complex mode. Both teams will have their own Master Golem which they must protect. There is also a Golden Golem in the game which gives the player that destroys it the possibility to deal more damage to the opponent’s Master Golem. When a player dies, he will not be resurrected which means that a team will also lose when all its members are dead.

Classes

Rakion offers us five basic classes: Mage, Ninja, Archer, Warrior and Blacksmith. Since Rakion doesn’t have any character customization (excluding equipment), you will encounter many look a likes of yourself in the game. The classes use different weapons, have their own specialty, but they also have their own unique Chaos Mode.
The Chaos Mode in Rakion is a unique feature. It basically transforms the player to a special form which will make him stronger. Chaos Mode can be activated when a certain amount of  enemies have been killed by the player.  Let me give you a description of all the classes and their Chaos Modes:
 
Mage: The melee weapon of a mage is their staff. They can use it to hit their opponents, but the amount of damage is very low.
Their spells are their ranged weapons. They can be casted with a wand. When a Mage turns into its Chaos Mode, it will get a summoned creature with upgraded spells.  
 
Ninja: The Ninjas use a stick, better known as a jitte (or jutte). This is a weak, but very fast weapon. They can also throw shurikens. When a Ninja turns into its Chaos Mode, it will change into a bigger, red creature with upgraded spells and abilities.
 
Archer: Archers are mostly specialized in using a bow, but they can also handle a one handed sword. When an Archer turns into its Chaos Mode, it will change into a large white creature with upgraded abilities and the possibility to fire several arrows at once.
 
Warrior: The Warriors in Rakion are very balanced. They have a two handed sword as their melee weapon and they are able to throw knifes. When they turn into their Chaos Mode, they will become a white robot with a big sword.
 
Blacksmith: Blacksmiths use a hammer as their melee weapon and they are able to throw small axes. When they change into their Chaos Mode, they will turn into soe golem with a huge flail.

Conclusion

Rakion is a great game to spend some time with. It will take quite a while before you have seen everything of the game and it is quite impressive to see a game with two different genres. It is a bit sad not to be able to meet each other outside of a match, though.
The game may have its downsides and it may lack some content, but that doesn’t take away that the game is quite amusing.
Rakion is a very popular game and I can say with no doubt that this will remain for at least a few more years.

TwelveSky 2 Review: The Big Grind

By Jeffrey Kerkdijk (Hyarume), Onrpg writer

Twelve sky a Oriental fantasy MMORPG,  developed by Alt1 (formally known as Gigasoft)  and has been a big hit on the MMO market. Twelve sky 2 is an improved version of that game with better visuals, enhanced gameplay and a new clan. Could it become another big success, or is it yet another grinder?
The game is set in ancient China where three clans rule the land. These clans are: The Imperial Dragon Clan, Royal Snake Clan and The Fierce Tiger Clan.  Until recently these where the only Clans that ruled the land, but The Ancient Sky Clan arises from their dark ashes.
 

Entering ancient China

When you first start the game you can create a character like in most MMORPGs you have three clans to choose from(and there isn’t a fourth yet) and a few customization options plus you must pick a weapon that you would like to use.
Each clan has its own starting locations and fighting abilities that can be learned. One clan starts in the middle of a cold icy area and another starts near a volcano with ashes falling down from the sky, there is no shortage of variation in the game.
Quests are extremely generic(kill this, talk to that person over there..) and they also appear to be not really rewarding: little experience and money is given to you when you complete a quest and sometimes a piece of equipment or a weapon. When it comes to enjoying the game you are better off hunting for monsters from the start.

Gameplay in a martial arts world

The combat system in twelve sky is pretty interesting, you have a lot of cool martial arts moves some of them are for a single enemy, and with others you can easily kill 5 or 10 at once. Twelve sky 2 is a big grind. There are dungeons and other places that you can do in groups, in these you can find some great items and quite a bit of money.
 
You can learn some special skills in the game such as running with  a very high speed, a jump move which allows you to jump on objects rooftops for example. This is fun and all but the jumping is not necessary in PvE but in PvP it can be a lot of fun.
The game has no WASD controls, it is a full point and click game. But as it is WASD wouldn’t work here either. The game makes full use of the point and click controls and it feels really old. For example when you are using your running skill, you can only click where you want to go once if you want to change directions it will cost you another smack of MP, this is very annoying.
 
Each time you level up you get a few stat points, you can distribute these in any way you want. This system works for those who have been familiar with this but can be a pain for the newcomer to the genre.
This game also has another familiar  MMO syndrome “potion spamming” as healing items don’t seem to have a cool down at all you can use as much as you want as fast as you want. This makes PvP on an equal level more like “Let’s see who of us has the most potions today”.

PvP

You can dual with players from your own clan or battle against the other clans with your clan as an ally. Dueling can be fun but if you are both around the same level it all comes down to the “potion spamming” mechanism. Also when you are fighting against other clans this will happen but then the PvP isn’t just 1 vs 1 all the time, thus making  it a little more fun to do.

Graphics

The graphics are in a mix, the character designs look awesome, but the world looks less interesting and really flat. The animations look great but have a sudden stop, for example: You are using your great skills your character slashes the enemy multiple times and then at the last swing the animation stops and returns the character back to the normal position all in one frame. This really makes you think the game is really old because it is so strange to see this in a new MMORPG.

Sound

The game has some interesting background music it really suits the game and adds to the feeling of ancient china. The other sounds when in combat are really annoying whatever you hit it all sounds the same and there is little variation in the combat sounds. Another thing that makes this game feel so old.

 

Personal Recommendation

Twelve sky 2 isn’t a bad game it just feels really old, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try the game. The game sets place in a unique concept of ancient china and has a lot of variety in landscaping.

The core game is “Just another grind” however it does have its own unique style.  The game is a lot like the first twelve sky but this time around has better graphics, mechanics and some new content.

Visuals and sound do feel a bit old for these days. But it does seem to work, allot of players are already playing the open beta of the game and the two servers available are almost completely full at most times of the day.
Bottom line: Twelve sky 2 is a unique grinder with a martial arts style, But the game is worth it to check out!
 
Pros
– Character design
– Variation in locations
– Martial arts style
– The PvP concept
 
Cons
– The actual PvP
– Potion spamming
– The suddenly stopping animations
– Battle sounds
– Potion spamming
– The game feels old
– The grind

Red War

Red War is an isometric MMORPG that evokes memories of dungeon crawl RPGs of the past, while keeping the formula fresh with new features and systems.

Key Features:
 
* PvP Battles based on skill, not level
-PvP battles take place 3 times a day, and are open to virtually all players. 
-Once players join, their level is set to 80 to ensure a level playing field.  Players can redistribute stats, skills, etc. to customize their characters for each battle.
-Players re-spawn every 10 seconds upon death, and the team with the most kills at the end of the tournament earns the chance to fight exciting boss monsters and reap the rewards of acquiring unique prizes.
 
* Castle Sieges
-A large scale battle that has guilds vying for control over castles
-Members of the guild that is victorious controls the castle.  The guild has access to all the castle’s amenities and features, such as Portals that lead to all villages, Castle dungeons, and can receive taxes as well.
 
* Clones
-Creates a Clone of yourself.  The clone starts off at level 1, but increases in level as you do, and can even have their Class changed.  Besides being a hunting partner, your Clone is also handy for:
-Storing extra items
-Setting up a shop while you go out hunting

 

 

Ashen Empires Goes F2P

Ashen Empires is a medieval fantasy MMORPG that enables players from around the world to interact with other groups and hunt for powerful artifacts. Players can gain knowledge in dozens of skills that keep the world functioning and cast magic spells to gain power. The game features dynamic quests that are scattered throughout the land, providing a world of endless possibilities to those who accept this challenge.
“It’s been our goal to end subscriptions since we became the first American MMORPG to introduce a token store,” says David Reese of Iron Will Games. “We believe that Ashen Empires is a must-play MMORPG for any fan of the genre, and now is the perfect time to try it.”
Current subscribers will be given membership time in the new VIP program which features many in-game perks, such as four extra backpack spaces, a shared account bank, personal pets, and bonus experience gain. VIPs are treated like real kings out of game, as well, with special offers and discounts as well as a free monthly grab bag of goodies from the token store.
VIPs can expect many more perks to come, such as VIP only art for the Dungeons of Dransik expansion. Dungeons of Dransik, also released today, features a free downloadable game editor called the Ashen Empires Content Creator. The easy-to-use tools in the Content Creator let players transform a blank canvas into exciting worlds with custom NPC’s, triggers, objects, teleporters, traps, conversations, and more. Players can upload their maps to the game servers then publish them for anyone to play and review.
Tokens, the micropayment currency used in Ashen Empires and the Pixel Mine Portal, were introduced in February of 2007 and can be traded or used to purchase expansions, in game enhancements, and other useful items.

Astro Empires 3rd Anniversary

The browser-based space strategy MMOG, Astro Empires, has celebrated its 3rd Anniversary since the official launch on the 20th of May of 2006.
 
A brand new server is expected to be open on the 30th of May. “Gamma” will be the 7th game server.
 
To celebrate the 3 years of public launch Astro Empires will be releasing soon two new features to the game, the implementation of additional languages besides the original one, English, and a brand new game layout, which is expected to bring new players to the game.
 
For more information visit the game’s website at astroempires.com