Yearly Archives: 2010

Lego Universe Already Adds New Zones

Lego Universe Already Adds New Zones

 

LEGO Universe just launched on October 26th, but already, the LEGO Group is adding new vibrant and action-packed areas for players to explore. The “World Build League,” a talented group of LEGO fans turned co-developers, have dreamed up and delivered three dazzling new zones to the LEGO Universe MMOG playground – a whole realm of exciting new adventures across original, imaginative environments.

 

To check out the World Build League zones, players should first visit Starbase 3001, located just past the Brick Annex in Nimbus Station, near the entrance to Pet Cove. In Starbase 3001, you can snag some new models and meet futuristic robots, before hopping on the launch pad and flying to your World Builder League destination of choice: DeepFreeze, MoonBase or Portabello.

 

LEGO Universe just launched on October 26th, but already, the LEGO Group is adding new vibrant and action-packed areas for players to explore.

 

If winter can’t come fast enough, head to DeepFreeze. Fans can report to Dee the Chickadee to accept their first mission, and take time to build a snowman, cruise atop the ice on a Zamboni and battle Maelstrom Beavers. Prefer an out-of-this-world experience? Blast off to MoonBase, the space-themed zone where players fly high, thanks to the low gravity atmosphere. There’s plenty to explore in this sleek, futuristic zone and possible alien encounters lurking around every moon rock. In the fantasy-filled World Builder zone, Portabello, don’t be afraid to meet Draggle, Baggle and Zaggle-they’re the dragon brothers who send players on an unpredictable quest. For inquisitive minds, the official LEGO Universe website has more juicy details.

Dynasty Warriors Online Preview: Carry a Long Stick

Dynasty Warriors Online Preview: Carry a Long Stick

By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

In the various Dynasty Warriors games I’ve played on the console, there was always this one nagging option that I wanted Tecmo Koei to include in this title, a player made character within the War of the Three Kingdoms era. Reiteration after reiteration of the game has presented various “game changes” and yet they haven’t given me the satisfaction of creating my own “character” to plow through tons of enemies and be part of the winning nation.

 

Dynasty Warriors Online Character

 

It seems however, that with Dynasty Warriors Online, my wish was granted.

First Impressions

The game allows you to create your own hero in the tumultuous 3 kingdoms era of China. It also allows you to customize your characters to an extent and even gives you the choice of the province where your character comes from. The game has all the bells and whistles you expect in MMORPGs, with a touch of the Dynasty Warriors franchise as a neat wrapper.

 

 

Dynasty Warriors Online Pre Battle

 

The game actually feels more like a Dynasty Warriors game with an MMO twist rather than a mere online version of its console counterpart. The good thing about this is that Dynasty Warriors has already created a name for itself and has a workable game formula. However, the problem with retaining that same cut and paste formula is that the problems of the franchise have been carried over to this current version of Dynasty Warriors. I will go into more detail in a bit.

 

What is the game?

For those who are not familiar with Dynasty Warriors, the game takes on a micro look in the War of the Three Kingdoms era of China. Basically, this era is the “chaotic” part of the Chinese history where three kingdoms, or “empires” rose to power. Your part in all of this is as  a soldier or commander in a specific army and work your way through various missions which has you facing literally hundreds of warriors. The Dynasty Warriors franchise is famous for throwing hundreds of AI controlled units right at your face and you have to mow them down in the typical Chinese martial-artsy way.

 

 

Dynasty Warriors Online Quest

 

The game’s latter versions also introduced lieutenants that serve as your backup and support. Depending on the version of the game, the use of these AI backups serves as more than support. They even provide the necessary help in terms of defeating units and even holding areas out of the enemy’s hands.

 

So imagine all that and put it into an MMO setting, that’s basically what DWO is all about. When I heard of the game I was actually intrigued because I never thought that there would be any possibility of a Dynasty Warriors game being turned into an online MMO. Guess I was wrong.

 

How the game fared

In my initial few hours playing the game, I found it reminiscent of the old Dynasty Warriors games I spent hours playing. Of course with the addition of my own character hailing from a town named Jing and  enlisted into the Shu army (my preferred army ever since I started playing the Dynasty Warriors games) the game played as I expected..

 

 

Dynasty Warriors Online Battles

 

I was expecting that the levelling system was also in place in DWO. I was wrong. Instead of the usual levels, you have ranks in the game. Ranking up serves as the game’s “level” where each rank up opens up stronger weapons and harder quests to tackle.

 

The thing I liked about DWO is that you are given free reign on the weapon your character uses. Unlike in old Dynasty Warrior games where the weapons you use are exclusive to the character you are playing. Aside from the weapons you are also given freedom on the choice of clothes your character wears.

 

 

Dynasty Warriors Online Weapons

 

DWO allows you to upgrade your equipment, and also allows you to put an elemental attribute to your weapons and even modify its base abilities. This system is actually new and  this I believe is where the MMOG elements come in.

 

In fact, the town where you “live” is more reminiscent of the towns you’d find in MMOs rather than in Dynasty Warrior games (the town system was only introduced in one of the franchise’ recent reiterations, namely DW Strikeforce). The new game is definitely bigger, it has more NPCs and even looks better than Strikeforce. The one thing I didn’t like about the towns is that the main quest NPC you need to speak to  is quite littered with players, especially in the game’s peak hours. I mean I have no complaints that you get to see people online but the problem is that you find it hard to click the NPC you need to talk to because a lot (and I do mean a LOT) of names are in the way of that NPC’s name.

 

 

Dynasty Warriors Online Town

 

 

This is just the game’s CBT phase; I can only imagine what may happen when  DWO becomes live. Then I seriously believe it’d be harder for people to go for an “Advancement Quest”.

 

Battle System

Among the myriad of game features I saw in DWO, the game’s battle system stood out the most. The game’s battle system allows your character to get “power ups” during quests that will stay up only within that quest. You get to collect the Chinese version of wine skins which are dropped by the dead AI enemies and every “wine skin” you collect opens you up to a quest only upgrade or a temporary buff.

 

The quest only upgrades vary from buffing your lieutenant to increasing your combo capabilities to increasing your base damage and defense.  The temporary buffs however concentrate more on your damage and defense output and is activated for only a few seconds.

 

 

Dynasty Warriors Online Buff

 

I actually like this battle system because it means you can make your character stronger than it originally was. This helps a lot especially in your tactics if you decide to go on a PvP battle. It keeps you on your toes while adding more excitement to your battles.

 

Issues

As I’ve mentioned earlier, the game is more like a Dynasty Warriors game with an MMO twist. This means that the game also carries the problems Dynasty Warrior games have. One good example is that the game still retains the tedious recurring smash ’em up feel and  you find yourself jaded after playing similar games over and over again. That is to be expected though because this is in fact a Dynasty Warriors game.

 

DWO also retains the “dumbed” down AI from older Dynasty Warrior games. While of course I can’t say that the recent Dynasty Warriors games on the console and handheld are super smart, at least they serve as a challenge especially when they start mobbing you. However that’s not the case with DWO. A lot of the grunt AIs you’ll be facing will just move up on you and attack you after half a minute of staring at your martial arts display.

 

The game also is pretty tedious even by MMO standards. I don’t know if they’re going to tweak the honours you get from accomplishing missions but it took me a while (and a very painful pair of hands) before I ranked up.

 

Conclusion

Overall I liked how DWO plays. Even with all its faults is an enjoyable game. In fact I missed making all those bodies fly and racking up the K.O. count that the franchise is also famous for. With the game still on its CBT phase there are still a lot of things you can discover as the game is further tweaked. One of the things I really look forward to is going head to head with other players in an almost free for all battle royale that I never experienced in the console ports of the game.

 

Personally I am looking forward to DWO once it becomes commercial. Hopefully by then my arms won’t come off because I kept trying to increase my combos to double digits.

Napoleonic War

Napoleonic War is a free MMORTS that offers the best in strategic empire building. The game is set in the “Napoleonic” age of Musketeers and Howitzers.  Being placed in a persistent real time world, you enter with a single city placed randomly in one of the countries of 18th century Europe.


You must build up your armies, rank and prestige to attain the respect and loyalty of fellow players. The game is full of economics, diplomacy, and warfare. Empires rise and fall before your eyes as you take part in this ongoing struggle for supremacy! The Realms of Power and Toulon Battle System are two very unique, must try features that players do not want to miss. Another great feature is hunting famous military officers to join your side; these historical figures are able to expertly lead player armies to the pinnacle of the power.

 

These delightful features fill the game with intense and exciting fun for all.

Mythos Update: Arts and Crafts

Mythos Update: Arts and Crafts


One of the features central to the forthcoming Hack-and-Slash MMO Mythos is the comprehensive crafting system. Gamers can break down items looted from one of the dangerous dungeons or stolen from a nasty monster to create more powerful items from the individual pieces. Players have their choice of three specialities in the skill tree: “Terran”, “Sylvan” and “Etheral”. Utilising enhancement bonuses and by collecting skill points, players are able to forge the game’s most powerful items.

 

Spoilt for choice
In every skill tree, there are specialisations for different types of weaponry and armour. For example, in the “Terran” category you can craft items like swords or breastplates. In the “Etheral” category, players have the option to create magical items like a magic wand or garments. Firearms can be made using the “Sylvan” tree. Each category features six enchantments, such as fire damage or poison protection, with which items can be further upgraded. After every hard fought level up, Mythos monster mashers are awarded two skill points. There are over 100 different abilities in the three specialisations for players to choose from. As points are awarded, these options are unlocked and determine what type of items can be crafted. Players can decide themselves about which type of weaponry they want to specialise in, or which skill tree they want to beef up.

 

Mythos players have their choice of three specialities in the skill tree: “Terran”, “Sylvan” and “Etheral”.

 

For the decisive and the adrenaline junkies
After building up their skills, gamers can place a slot in their completed items. By placing crafted heraldries in these slots, players receive a temporary buff, such as increased life points. The temporary buffs are perfect if you find yourself suddenly in some dank dungeon and need to teach an unruly monster some manners. Being clever with your skill points, as well as upgrading with enchantments, is the ultimate determination as to how powerful your crafted items can become. Additionally, when crafting items, gamers can decide how high to set each attribute, for example speed. However, the higher the attribute is cranked, the chances of the crafting process going haywire increase. But with that increased risk, comes the potential for a better end product. Tinkering with your items after the hunt is guaranteed to provide a thrill.

 

 

ArchLord Introduces Dragonscion, The Children of Mightthesis

Archlord Introduces Dragonscion, The Children of Mightthesis

 

WEBZEN Inc. announced today the update of the new race ‘DragonScion’ known as the children of the great dragon Mightthesis for Archlord.

 

ArchLord DragonScion Hero - Tartasandra

 

The update of this hybrid type new race DragonScion will bring 4 new classes to the game. Starting from a class “Scion”, when reaching level 20, players will face the challenging decision of which advanced class to pursue and master. By the evolution system players can choose among four classes ‘Scion’, ‘Slayer’, ‘Summoner’, or ‘Orbiter’.

 

With the upcoming update of the new race DragonScion, WEBZEN will hold DragonScion Beta Key Joint Promotion which will start on beginning of December.
During the beta key promotion period, the beta key holders will not only able to unlock the DragonScion, but will also be given one of the strongest Chaotic Frontier full set of trial armor and more advanced items which will ease the game play. Most importantly, the DragonScion character database will be retained even after the beta trial period.

 

Tony Kim, Head of Global Publishing at WEBZEN Inc. said “The update of the new race DragonScion will provide more excitement and diversity into the fierce battle of the Chantra world. Also the strained relation among the existing 3 races will become more complicated.” He added, “This new race is already very popular in China, Japan, and East Asia, and we are sure it will be also be an epic experience for our Global server players.”

Lunia Online Review – Addictive Combo Mayhem!

Lunia Online Review – Addictive Combo Mayhem!

By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Lunia Online is an anime-styled MMO beat em’ up cogame that lets players enjoy smashing tons of enemies with minimal effort. The game is arranged in a vaguely sequenced system where players take quests and eventually find themselves on  a continuous chain of missions. The game is extremely fun, especially with the all the characters to choose from. The game play sports the traditional Final Fight system, which makes players crush everything on the screen before proceeding to the next part of the map. The game can be played with the keyboard but if you want that classic gaming feel I’d suggest a game pad.

 

Starting Up

Unlike other MMOs, Lunia Online presents you with  pre generated  character selection  rather than the traditional generic archetype selector. Each character has its own unique set of skills but essentially the same type of game play.  You will mostly be beating up everything on the map. The game also states the difficulty of handling each character. This form of rating allows players to distinguish which characters have easier combos as well as the survival rate of each character when soloing instances.

 

 

Lunia Online Start

Character Select

 

My Familia’

After entering the game world, you’ll be opted to join a family for an extra boost. Families serve as your personal team in the game and are quite essential for your character’s growth. Achievements and bonuses can be shared to family members provided that they are logged in at the time. It’s the lazy man’s way, but hell I’m lazy anyway.

 

BLOCK DAMN IT!

One of the things that caught my attention was the lockdown factor that occurs every time  you get hit by a group of monsters. The game does not have a block option. This makes it hard for players to escape a group attack. Allow me to explain further. During my early levels, I found myself stranded in the middle of a wolf pack. Since most of their attacks don’t knock you down, there’s no invincibility window granted for you to escape the continuous bites draining your HP, and due to the absence of blocking, you’ll probably just stand in place taking damage until a player saves you or die in the process. A block function wouldn’t hurt.

 

Get A Gamepad With Tons Of Buttons

Since directional keys and basic attacks take most of the mapped controls, mapping the skills and essential items in the game can be a pain. Yeah, you’re free to use a game pad, but due to the lack of buttons, players will most likely go back to the keyboard for the extra functions.

 

Quests And Missions

Like I said, quests tend to link every time you finish a mission. This means that the NPC you’ll be meeting for the quest rewards will most likely give you another task after completing your current one.

Missions are instanced and will only be shared with your party members, so it’s best that you recruit team members before rushing in, unless you want to repeat the whole thing after being massacred by mobs.

 

 

Lunia Online Quests And Mission

Questing

 

Lunia’s missions and scenarios are done pretty well. You’d think it’s the same as other MMO beat em’ up games, but it’s not. Aside from the continuous mobs, Lunia’s missions are semi scripted, meaning things really happen as you venture across the instanced map. Much like Guild Wars, you’ll find NPCs joining your crew as you progress. It’s a very immersive way of storytelling, and yet a rare feature for MMOs to possess. Another thing great thing is the in game cinematic or comic strips. On random occasions, a clickable movie tab will be shown, allowing players to access a visual novel interface that explains the current situation. Once again, the artwork is anime-ish… a good way to hook people, I must say.

 

Map

I was really amazed when I saw the World Map, if we can call it that. As you can see, there are episode tabs at the top portion of the screen. This pretty much signifies how long you’ll be playing to finish the story :3. That’s like 70 missions if you count 10 per episode. Worry not though, for the game has enough gimmicks and scripted goodness to remove the linearity of game play. The story is actually pretty interesting if you ask me.

Lunia Online Map

The Map of Lunia

PVP

You can access PVP anytime on the world map simply by entering the PVP Room. This takes you to a list of hosted battles where you can either join or create your own session. There’s a room made for beginners but I wasn’t able to find any newbies to challenge. Your best bet would probably be to level up further and challenge the highbies when you get there. Matches can either be 1-on-1 or 2-on-2.

Lunia Online PVP

Score Board

Graphics and Sounds

Cell shaded anime graphics… a simple and outdated system but still works for most gamers today. The spells look absolutely brilliant, with dynamic light effects that swivel across the screen and emphasize the said skill. The background is vibrant and quite colorful, allowing the character models to blend well with the surroundings. There are a whole variety of monsters and bosses, allowing players to see something new every time they progress further. Nothing rewards you better than a change of scenery right? The sounds are just brilliant. First off, the BGM is just invigorating and is perfect for the whole beat em’ up feel. Secondly, character voices also add to the experience as they accompany the crunchy sound effects that manifest per hit. Superb!!!

 

Lunia Online Graphics

Balls, Balls Everywhere!

The Verdict

I must say, Lunia Online got me hooked pretty fast. With character combos, instanced missions, epic boss battles, what more could you ask for? Perhaps the biggest thing that caught my attention was the game’s moving storyline and visual novel storytelling. It’s quite rare for MMOs to possess this feature and I’m happy to see it again. There are tons of characters in the game, and it’s just sad that some of them are for sale… Hmm…they did say that the others can be unlocked through secret quests, so I guess I’ll be looking for them. I had a few lag problems, but it was pretty easy to endure, especially since I was enjoying the game so much.. Nailing those combos may be a bit hard for newbies, but trust me when I say that it feels kind of nice when you’ve mastered them. Both fun and rewarding, Lunia Online is definitely something to enjoy.

 

Pros
-Quite addictive
-Great Visuals
-Excellent soundtrack and invigorating music
-Combos
-Scripted Missions
-Visual Novel Storytelling

 

Cons
-Some characters are for sale
-Lag issues-Lockdowns
-Long loading times.