Fallen Earth: Facebook Spotlight on Recruiting Clans

Fallen Earth: Facebook Spotlight on Recruiting Clans

Star Trek Online: Pre-Ordering gets you exclusive emotes!
The pre-order page for Star Trek Online has brought some interesting surprises. On top of the already expected Closed Beta Access, pre-ordering gets you the following armor:
Chromodynamic Armor: This armor is based on technology brought back from the Delta Quadrant by U.S.S. Voyager and is personal body armor that improves the damage and critical hits of your energy weapons.

Opting for the slightly more expensive “Digital Deluxe Edition” also gets you the following Trekkie pr0n:
Original Star Trek Uniform Set: Three uniforms from the original series (blue, red, yellow).
Exclusive “KHAAAN!” Emote: An unforgettable moment from the second Star Trek Film. This exclusive emote allows players to relive Kirk’s unforgettable moment of fury, with the timeless cry… “KHAAAN!”
Exclusive Klingon Blood Wine Toast Emote: Raise a glass like a Klingon! Greet other players with an exclusive Klingon gesture –the blood wine toast.
Unique Registry Prefix: Give your ship the coveted NX prefix, seen only on a handful of elite Starfleet vessels like the Defiant, 22nd century Enterprise, and Prometheus.
Unique Ship Item: Automated Defense Battery. This Tactical Module grants any ship a passive 360 arc attack power with a short range.
One thing is for sure: When this offer was annouced Star Trek Fans all over the world felt a disturbance in the force. Wait, I might be getting my Sci-Fi mixed up now.
Source: Steampowered.com

SUN Review: Great features and some really weird quirks
By Jeffrey Kerkdijk (Hyarume), OnRPG Journalist
Soul of the Ultimate Nation a.k.a SUN is a MMORPG created and published by Webzen. SUN, unlike most other MMORPGs uses a hack and slash style of combat combined with a story to progress trough. With unique mechanics and a different approach in terms of gameplay, what makes SUN worth your time to play?
The story is a little vague, players start as a part of a rebellion group called “The Guidance” to set the world free from evil beings. Basically the average setting. The world belongs to an evil emperor who possesses the power of the Dark Ether and uses that power to maintain control over the continent and over his enemies. With Demons, Dragons, Dark Knights and the Undead scattered all over the land with all sorts of power that the Dark Ether possesses, no power in the world seems able to stop this force.
A rebel leader called Ignis, Declared War to the empire and formed “The Guidance”. The rest of the story is up to you to discover as I won’t give any spoilers.
There are four classes to play, and remarkably they all have a gender restrictions. The Dragon Knight and Beserker class are both male and the Elementalist and Valkyrie are female. The Dragon Knight gives you several spear or blade techniques and is more of a DPS class; the Beserker more comparable to a tank class and can focus either on offence or defence or if you like a little of both. The Elementalist is basically just a mage, but this time around you can choose to be offensive or focus on healing abilities. And finally there’s the Valkyrie, who is just a ranged class. In short there are several classes for several play-styles and there’s a new class on the way. There is no release date set but the shadow is going to make its appearance in SUN in the future.
The gameplay is mostly linear, you follow the path that the story takes you. However this is not a bad thing: the majority of the game is fairly interesting and the story is also not too bad. You start off in a town called Esod, which is the tutorial zone. After completing the tutorial quests you get to a town called Walzen, from where you will begin your journey through the lands. This takes you all over the lands, back and forth. SUN online is heavily focused on party play, and that’s not a bad thing either.
From regular quests to instanced dungeons, SUN has it covered. As you follow the storyline of the game you will get to certain instanced quests, which you complete by gathering up in parties. These quests are fairly challenging.
There are several mechanics worth mentioning as well. There is an in-depth crafting system, and the option to create a room based party for either PVP, hunting or the several missions that the game is full of. There is lots to do and lots to play and there’s even a good combat system to make everything work.
Although the combat feels sluggish at first, the more you progress through the game, the more it will make you appreciate the mechanics of the combat. It has a nice pace and the character stops for a fragment of time after a move, there is also some great skill animation to be found in the game. It is worth some getting used to, and it is great!

Dark Knight in Combat
The world of SUN, it is just amazing. From forests to lakes to snowy plains- SUN has it, there is some incredible detail to the scenery. Not to mention the dungeons and places you will discover along the road.

Various Landscapes in SUN
The music in SUN is awesome, it just feels right and it is composed by no one other than Howard Shore which is the person that also composed the music for the Lord of the Rings movies. It sounds great.
But! SUN isn’t the perfect game: there are many flaws in the game too. For starters, the WASD movement isn’t perfect. Next to that guilds costs a lot of money to set up and after that they cost even more to expand slots for more members. The graphics aren’t too adjustable without having to edit a certain “3dconfig” file in the games installation directory. Yeah, exactly, I would rather not mess with the files either.
Personal Recommandation
Overall SUN online is a welcome addition to the MMORPG market. The gameplay is unique and the quality sometimes matches that of the things you can find in Guild Wars. The game is story driven and I love that (though it may not suit all MMO gamers).

Soul of the Ultimate Nation Visuals
The PvP system works pretty well, which includes -like most games- a PK system. In most out-of-town zones you can PvP, however this doe increase your murderer stat and it gives you a red name too. The PvP features are not the best when compared to other expansive MMORPGs but it’s not bad either. It covers the basics of PVP, nothing more.
Armor has certain stat requirements so you aren’t always free to decide how you want to build your character but for most stats there are different items so you are freer than in other games that have this mechanic of character progression.
The quests give you a lot of XP and there isn’t a big noticeable grind. The game takes you all over the lands so there is a lot of variation in the game. However, most of the quests are kill quests or collection quests. Next to that, there are of course the instanced dungeon (or area) quests. Most of the mob quests allow you to kill a certain type of mob or an elite mob. This is a thing that keeps you going, and the change of scenery just makes it worth doing. You feel that you are getting stronger, you just feel rewarded all the time for doing the quests. And following the storyline is fairly rewarding. There are also several sub-quests that just cover the easier parts of the game, talk from NPC to NPC for rewards, kill some easy monsters, etc.
If you like games with a in-depth focus on storyline and with a bit of great combat, SUN Online is a game for you!
Pros:
– Storyline driven PvE.
– Great combat system.
– In-depth crafting mechanics.
– Awesome scenery.
Cons:
– Linear, tho this isn’t a concern to a lot of people it is a concern to some.
– Controls can feel a bit awkward in certain situations.
– Guilds can cost a lot to maintain.
A montage of great upcoming MMOs of 2010, how many of them do you know about?
Entropia Universe: Virtual Item sold for a world record $330.000!
MindArk has confirmed that a virtual Space Station in their game “Planet Calypso” has been sold for the stunning amount of $330.000 US dollars! Project Entropy Dollars (PED, see screenshot below) is the virtual currency for Entropia Universe and can be traded with MindArk for real currency for the rate of 10-1.

Final bid on the Cyrstal Palace Space Station
The avatar by the name of “Buzz Erik Lightyear” was the lucky(?) winner and now also record holder of the most expensive virtual item!

Entropia Universe Space Station
The previous record was held by the same game and was set with the purchase of Club Neverdie – The Virtual Space Resort and Nightclub for $100.000!
Source: Planet Calypso
Project Empire renamed to Forsaken World on PWI










Alganon Preview: It Shouldn’t be an Excuse
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist
In the world of MMORPGs, the same formula in games made has been rehashed and repackaged over and over again. There have been basically no “mind blowing” new gameplay features added to any of the recently released games that have changed the gaming industry.
However, game developers already know this and have put a lot of effort in providing new packages, in this case gimmicks, to the same old gameplay system found in every other MMORPG. You can smell trouble for a game if it has in one way or another failed to make its own mark on a now jaded gaming population.
Such is the case in Alganon. You are welcomed by a character creation interface that feels all too familiar. The choices for your character remind me of a lot of other P2P games that I’ve played before however at least they made it feel like it was their own unlike Alganon where it feels far too much like “the MMO I played the last time”.
Once you’re inside the game, you get a feeling of familiarity with the starting area. Other games have managed to eliminate this feeling even if they’re using the same MMORPG formula. Alganon has failed.
The problem with Alganon is that if you solely base your opinion of the game’s quality of the interface, then my guess is that you are going to immediately drop this game especially if you have passed through WAR, WoW or even Dungeons and Dragons Online.
With the lack of anything new in the game’s interface, Alganon tries to balance it with an addition of various game features that only a handful of P2P games (such as Eve Online) use. An example of a unique game system in Alganon is the Character Study System.
Characters should study too
The Character Study System serves as the skill system in Alganon. This is the biggest difference the game offers because the Study System enables players to have a vast set of skills ready to be used which are not determined by your character’s level but by the amount of time you character learns the skill. Studying takes from minutes to hours up to days depending on the level of the study you want your character to accomplish. What’s more studying only takes 2 things from you, time and a click. Even if you’re logged out your character keeps on studying till it finishes that certain skill.
It is kind of ironic that even in an MMORPG, you have to study to get ahead in life. However, the addition of the character study in Alganon not only gives players a wide range in creating their own character build but also makes the whole game more interesting due to the huge possibility of builds you can create.
The other thing about the study system is that it makes leveling not as important in terms of strengthening your character. Every level up in the game only provides you with big chunks of stats dependent on your race and class and that’s about it. The defining factor of your character’s strength lies on the level of the studies your characters have. Basically, Alganon is skill driven and the skill system makes it all the more exciting to play because your character has a lot of things he can learn regardless of what kind of job class your character belongs in.
It may be true that Alganon has a decent gameplay system at work which is all thanks to character study however if you continue playing Alganon there are a lot of things that will gnaw at you as you play and majority of it is due to the game’s interface. Basically, there is nothing wrong with how the game looks. The graphics are not really top notch but they still provide enough quality to not question the game’s visual experience and the game controls follow the usual keyboard and mouse set up. However, it’s the game’s animation that will gnaw at you as you play Alganon.
Though it’s quite normal in games that the animation seems chopped or clunky which is generally caused by lag however in Alganon, the character’s movements are not that smooth regardless of lag or not. There are instances where your character looks awkward when he attacks, and being that this game is p2p you expect a lot more in terms of game animation. I tried cutting my internet load to check if it was just my net lag but sadly I was wrong. While there is no problem when you travel switching to attacking seems quite disjointed and it will eventually irritate you especially when you’ve paid for the subscription.
I think that Alganon has the makings of a great game especially with the character study system. However, the major problem with the game is that for a p2p MMORPG you’re expecting more. You be expect a refined game where everything works smoothly, because any decent gamer will expect their purchase to be a good one.
Another issue I have in Alganon is the game’s feel. Having a great game system and features can only go so far and the one thing that will really make players stay is the capability of a game to convince someone that they are in a world of their own. Here lies the second most apparent problem in the game. As long as Alganon doesn’t make its mark this MMORPG will remain as generic as most of the games out there.
I’ll be keeping my eye out on Alganon because it has potential, however my first adventure into the game left me disappointed, the game can still evolve and seeing that the patches are done quickly, it seems that it’s on its way to becoming a solid MMORPG.
Voyage Century Review: Treasure Maps and Ocean Breeze
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), Onrpg Journalist
Voyage Century is a free to play MMORPG that takes us back to the old days when vast world exploration and international trades served as a way of life. In this game you are not limited to land and may continue your exploration via sea as well. This means that regardless of how small the cities are, there is still much to discover since you basically have the whole world to explore. The game is quite historical, making it (a bit) educational and fun at the same time. As a citizen in the middle ages, it’s up to you whether you choose a peaceful life of trading and barter or a life of adventure and sea fights.
The choice is up to you…
Voyage century respects a lot of systems. In fact, it gets tiring just by studying them. PK System, trading system, combat system, it always gets on my nerves since I’ve never heard the word “System” being mentioned so many times. The game generally revolves around exploration, businesses and bounties. Once you attain your desired role in the game (adventurer, merchant, pirate, guardian, officer) you’ll be piloting your ship through rough waters in your search for land and glory. You’ll encounter a lot of historical places throughout your journey (told ya it was educational). I don’t know about you but being able to visit real places from a virtual perspective makes it rather appealing.

Voyage Century Sunset
One of the best parts of the game is the ability to fully enjoy the life of a pirate. The game runs on open PVP so you might want to watch your back when roaming the open seas. Ganking (the art of attacking an enemy from behind) is a huge element in almost every MMO and this one serves no different from the rest. It’s a killed or be killed world out there so arming yourself often would be a good idea. Open PVP is a good idea for hardcore players but can be bad and rather annoying for most of the carebears (non-PVP types) out there.
Quests also take you deeper into the heart of the game’s storyline, with a variety of tasks that would normally just lead to a mini game of “bring me this and bring me that”. The game has a bunch of quests, but the linearity of having to play a game of virtual fetch doesn’t quite cut it. Soon, you will be opted to go around in search of pirates. Combat is a nonlinear element of any MMO so if playing fetch gets old, your best bet would be to fight. Although the game has tons of quests, hardcore players may find the chains a bit too fast (and easy) during their adventures. This means that once you finish some of the quests, you’ll be left “task-less” for a long period of time.

Like I said, your best bet is to fight.
Like any other MMO, money is the key to getting stronger as it provides you with necessities and gear. People would often tell you to do quests in order to progress faster both financially and level-wise. In this case, money is not that hard to gain. Despite the number of quests, Killing pirates would still be the easiest form of income. You can also consider living through the trade system, but the price range may betray you for your efforts, especially since the demand for certain elements gradually changes over time. Though some jobs make life easier for others, the game respects the importance of each class so you won’t have to worry about not being needed. The economy runs through everyone’s effort so go ahead and do whatever it is you must do.
Ever wanted to use a treasure map? As an adventurer, your task would be to explore the world and jot down your findings. Things such as maps and other mythological treasures can be found within the boundaries of the game. There are more than a thousand findings in Voyage Century, and playing treasure hunter would be much more enjoyable through your visual screen than in your head (imagination is outdated LOL).

Sailing Out to Adventure
It was certainly love at first sight for me since it was the first time I’ve seen a free to play MMO render things this well. No matter how you look at it, the elements blend well together. The visuals alone gives the game a form of realism as it renders each element to perfection. Seeing your ship sail through the open sea while fighting pirates and looking for treasure has never looked this good (ever). While the graphics aren’t as good as today’s games, I would still say that the visuals aren’t too dull to be outdated. The water moves nicely, breezing through the place as your ships sails across the border.
Combat was expressed quite nicely as the cannons bring enough impact to satisfy your craving for an intense visual impact. The mass of the artillery can be weighed by how it looks. It is quite rare for games to show the mass of an object through visuals alone. The game’s graphics have impressed me thoroughly since I was able to build my personal relationship with the game’s elements even without the aid of sound (it was as though I could tell how hard it would hit just by looking at it).

At the Docks of the Bay
One factor that I would deem poor would be the game’s lack of sounds. Even though most of the your actions are backed up by certain soundclips, these elements do not blend well together. Certain crashes would often stand out and ruin the ambiance, creating an empty feeling comparable to watching a 5.1 channel movie with only one speaker.
The game is good and should be played by anyone who’s looking for something new. Since everyone is stuck with mass leveling and on-land combat, this would serve as a good change of scenery. Item malls are always good but normally causes money whoring which pretty much destroys the fun. The sounds are really bad and the game lacks music as well. Picking your job is quite tricky since it would normally come down to which one progresses faster. Though the game needs every class to make the economy move, an individual wouldn’t want to get left behind just because he is needed.
The Good:
– Good graphics
– Lots of systems to ponder on
– Treasure hunting rocks
– Open PVP
The Bad:
– Bad sound effects
– Lack of Music
– Open PVP
– Money whoring

