Yearly Archives: 2010

Runes of Magic: Trick-or-treat Taborea style

Runes of Magic: Trick-or-treat Taborea style

 

With Autumn casting its long shadow over the world of Taborea, Runes of Magic is preparing to celebrate all things ghastly and ghoulish with a newly expanded Pumpkin Festival event. On top of Runes of Magic Halloween favourites, this eerie event will offer up an XL haul of goodies, adding the Lil’ Pumpkins Trick-or-Treat and Pumpkin King games.

 

The Lil’ Pumpkins trick-or-treat offers visitors to Dalanis plenty of treats and more than enough tricks. This daily quest sends participants on a hunt to trap five pumpkin spirits scattered throughout the city before time runs out. These pumpkin pranksters are more than slippery and players might see their well-laid traps come up empty.

 

Runes of Magic is preparing to celebrate all things ghastly and ghoulish with a newly expanded Pumpkin Festival event

 

The Pumpkin King will also be holding court in Dalanis. In this event, his majesty will challenge players to a quiz that will force gamers to answers a series of questions by wearing their emoticons on their sleeve. Top treats are reserved for gamers who can obtain a perfect quiz score, but consolation prizes are available for those who get tricked.

 

This year’s event features the ghostly games of years past, including Kaz Madness, Monster Parade, Trick or Treat, and the Colored Ribbon Exchange.

 

4Story Halloween Party

4Story Halloween Party


Tear through the cobwebs, pull out your brooms and ride them through the eerie night It’s Halloween in TLBB!

 

Terrifying does not begin to describe the spooky events taking place across the TLBB EU ‘Dragon’ server and October 27th, 2010, marks the start of the Halloween period that will have players adopting a more sinister approach to their TLBB gaming.

 

Terrifying does not begin to describe the spooky events taking place across the TLBB EU 'Dragon' server

 

And who says ‘evil’ isn’t fun.

 

Legendary Champions Interview: Be Your Favorite Mythological Character

Legendary Champions Interview: Be Your Favorite Mythological Character
Questions by Kat Miller (Sareini), OnRPG Journalist
Answered by Tim Adams, Associate Producer

 

Legendary Champions is a F2P MMO from Aeria Games. In it, you play one of six classes, from Blade Dancer to Arcanist, along with the ability to transform yourself into one of 60 champions from myth and legend to become a powerful fighting force for a brief period of time. Aeria Games were good enough to answer some of our questions about their game.

 

OnRPG: Hello, I’m Kat (Sareini) from OnRPG. Can you please introduce yourself to our readers and tell us a little about what you do?
My name is Tim Adams. I’m the associate producer for Legendary Champions, which is basically another way of saying “the dude who makes things go smoothly.”

 

Legendary Champions Centaur

 

OnRPG: Can you give us some hints about the storyline of Legendary Champions?
The storyline of the game is based around two of the most famous generals in Chinese history. Basically, they’ve called forth some of the greatest fictional and non-fictional champions of the world to fight on their side in a battle for ultimate supremacy. The game is loosely based on Three Kingdoms mythology but also includes some awesome characters from Western history and lore, as well.

 

OnRPG: How did you come up with the concept for Legendary Champions – that is, the greatest figures from history and myth coming together?
The concept for the game was based around a “Wouldn’t it be cool?” conversation.  I mean who doesn’t want to ride into battle on a giant war hippo as Erik the Red against the likes of Alexander the Great or Dracula?

 

OnRPG: Were you looking for any particular things when you were selecting the cast of characters for the game?
When we were naming the characters we knew that we wanted the champions to each have a unique feel and an important place in history and mythology. For example, there is a giant werewolf champion, so we named him Fenrir, after the Norse and Greek mythologies. Another famous champion is King Arthur, although a slightly more modern version.  We figured if history had an interest in them as either warriors, or awesome fictional concepts for warriors then they deserved to be in the game.

 

Legendary Champions Character

 

OnRPG: Some of the characters featured in the game have appearances that differ from what people might expect from their historical portrayals, such as Beowulf with a chainsaw or Erik the Red and his mount. Is there anything you can tell us about how you chose the particular appearances of the characters?
First of all, I don’t think anyone would disagree with the fact that Beowulf wielding a giant yin yang chainsaw is really cool.   Aside from that we decided that a good approach would be to take the concepts of the characters as they are from history and then just embellish on them in order to fit the game world, which is pretty fantastical in itself.  The game is basically one big collection of super nerdy ideas about the heroes of days past.

 

LC Bear

 

OnRPG: On a similar note, for some of the historical and mythical figures in the game, you had several potential versions to choose from – Dracula, for example. How did you decide which version to use for each character?
The versions of the characters had to match the overall feel of the game.  At its heart, Legendary Champions is a faction versus faction PVP oriented game with DOTA elements.  We wanted the champions to look slightly realistic but also maintain a fun feel – so instead of the typical Dracula wearing a black cape with stark white skin, we chose to go with the stylish Dracula who looks like he could still kick your ass.

 

OnRPG: So far, you’ve revealed two of the player classes that will appear in the game – the Battlemaster and the Archer. Are you able to give any more detail on any of the other classes that will appear?
There are 6 classes total.  While I won’t go into all of them, I will give you a heads up on my favorite, the Blade Master.   The Blade Master is basically a whirl wind of death. It’s a melee DPS class that is also able to cast some really great party buffs.  One of my favorite aspects of Legendary Champions is that almost all classes have abilities that can help the group in some way.  

 

Legendary Champions Combat
Combat Screen

 

OnRPG: Will the various classes in the game follow the path of the “traditional” MMO classes – melee, ranged, healer, tank etc – or will the game be going in a different direction?
The character classes follow the traditional MMO standard in some way or another.  The major differences are that each class has skills that can help the party.  There are also hybrid classes like the Battle Master, which is a mix of melee DPS and group buffer. Or the Mender which can deal some serious damage while also being able to heal.

 

OnRPG: How necessary will grouping be in the game – will the various classes compliment and work well with each other, or will players be able to tackle content in the game without assistance from other players?
Grouping is a pretty big part of the game, however most of the quest content aside from the raids and elite boss monsters can be completed solo.   

 

Legendary Champions Boss Monster
Boss Monster

 

OnRPG: Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about Legendary Champions?
I would say though that one of the biggest features of the game is guilds.  Guilds play a huge role in the game, as the larger your guild gets, the more points you can accrue by completing objectives like killing monsters, finishing quests, beating bosses, etc.  These points can then be used to purchase guild skills which can act as a boon for all the players in your guild, for example adding +5% experience gain to all members. It’s pretty cool because guilds act as protection from other players in PVP, boons for raiding and hubs for socializing.  The features for the guild system are pretty in depth and I highly recommend that players get into the guild experience when playing Legendary Champions.

Kitsu Saga Unleashes Full Release, New Holiday Content

Kitsu Saga Unleashes Full Release, New Holiday Content

 

Aeria Games has proudly announced today that Kitsu Saga is now in full commercial release, with free, open access to all players, and the availability of an in-game Item Mall for premium virtual goods. Kitsu Saga, a colorful MMORPG that pairs players with wily fox spirits known as Kitsu on a quest to defend their homeland through magic and martial arts, is officially open to the public. Aeria is celebrating this milestone with a new content update, which adds festive new holiday quests and items to the game.

 

Kitsu
Adventure Awaits!

 

All Kitsu Saga players will have access to the limited-time holiday content for free, starting today. The cities and landscapes of Kitsu Saga have been populated by a plethora of pumpkins, which players can smash open to collect exclusive rewards. Four new quests have also been temporarily added to the game, which sends warriors into battle against fearsome new bosses, in exchange for new costume items – and, of course, candy.

 

Kitsu Saga can be freely downloaded and played at the official website.

Forgotten Elements Zone 2 Available Now

Forgotten Elements Zone 2 Available Now

 

After 18 months of development, 1.400.000 characters of program code and 250 liters of coffee we are proud to introduce you to Zone 2 of the online Action RPG Forgotten Elements!
Explore new icy areas and crystalline dungeons and continue your journey to meet the great seamonster Luzark!

 

Many new different monsters, challenging quests and powerful items are waiting for you in the new world around Terembora. The Crafting System now allows you to specialize on different crafting professions and raises the chance of creating valuable items.

 

Forgotten Elements

 

The new version is available now and comes up with many surprises and refinements, so don’t miss the chance and take a look at the official website!

Country Wars Online Review – A Small Game With Small Potential

Country Wars Online Review – A Small Game With Small Potential
By Bryan King (Bryan), OnRPG Journalist

 

Within an enormous egg, stands ‘Silvadoo’ the tree upholding the world. On the top three branches of Silvadoo hang the Sun, Star and Moon for each of the six continents upheld by the six branches below. Inside the trunk, nourishing the nine roots flow the ‘Waters of Circulation’, actually delicate web strands spouting from the tail of the black spider inhabiting among the roots of Silvadoo. It is believed that the world tree ‘Silvadoo’ nourishes on the vital energy and records of the history and fate of all living creatures within each string. ‘Airel’ a gigantic bird controlling the weather and season, flies among the skies of the egg, turning its’ cries into thunder, flaps into wind, tears into rain and changes rain into snow by its’ possessed ‘Nin’.

 

Country Wars Online, published by Cisos Software, is a game released after the closing of the Indian version, A3 India. Country Wars follows a storyline based on war, deception, and evolution of the land of Helmarsh. The game promises an “epic massive multiplayer online role-playing fantasy, action and adventure game”, but does it deliver? Let’s take a look.

 

Character Customization… or lack thereof

Country Wars Online has four classes, which are unfortunately gender locked. The Warrior and Holy Knight, your typical, toned, blonde haired, blue-eyed macho men. These characters focus on two different aspects of melee combat, the Warrior focusing on more aggressive combat types, and the Holy Knight focusing more on the defensive combat types. Next, you have your two females, both being the generic youthful, busty phenotypes that every F2P MMO gamer has come to know. The game offers no character customization beyond later armor choices, and this simply cannot compete with other games of this generation. Players don’t achieve any sort of unique looks other than armors that they may earn.

 

CW

 

Gameplay

Following my favored archetype, I went with a Holy Knight and entered the game. Upon entering, I was greeted by being surrounded by a group of ugly monsters, named Memora. While reading the first quest the game, I noticed that not one, not two, but THREE of these monsters were attacking me at the same time. By the time I had realized this, it was too late, and I was already long gone…

 

This experience was the first bad moment of a long and painful beginner journey. After spending much unnecessary time having to find an unmarked NPC, I realized that my character wasn’t regaining health. This means that the only means of regaining HP is by spamming potions or being healed by a Holy Knight. Skills in the game are acquired by defeating monsters and a skill book being dropped from them, or purchasing them from another character. However, these books are often hard to find, and upon asking a high-level character in the game, take hours to days of endless grinding to obtain.

 

An interesting feature in Country is the Pet Shue system, this allows players to have a pet that grows along with them as they level, provide bonuses, and evolve along with your character.

 

Combat in Country Wars works in the fashion of clicking a monster, auto-attacking, and selecting a skill. Right clicking on yourself, monster, or an ally will activate a skill. The game works on a click-and-go basis, and this actually isn’t that bad for a game like this. It’s simple and easy to use, and can be very welcoming for a new MMO gamer, however, for more experienced MMO gamers who have been spoiled by better combat systems, this type of combat may feel blocky and be a bore.

 

CW

 

The camera angles in the game often became obtrusive, and detracted from my game experience. To move the camera from left to right, you need to use the left and right arrow keys, and to shift the camera up and down on a vertical perspective, you need to use the up and down arrow keys. For a right-handed player like me, having one hand on the mouse to move and zoom in and out, and the arrow keys is uncomfortable. Having no way to change this (unless you fiddle with the .ini file, maybe) makes this all the more annoying. You can drag your middle mouse key along to move the camera, but doing this and clicking at the same time, along with moving? It just seems impractical…

 

One thing that is pretty unique about Country Wars was the fact that players can hire NPC mercenaries to help them in their travels. There are four classes available as mercenaries, Warrior, Paladin, Archer, and Mage. These mercenaries can use skills just like players can, and can often be the difference between life and death for a player, depending on what class mercenary they have. When your mercenary dies, you must revive him or her at the Bar (the same area you obtain one from). This system might be one of the saving graces of Country Wars, because it does offer something that isn’t seen in all MMOs.

 

An interesting thing, GMs held an all-out GM War last year, which apparently was an event to capture castles and earn points to win for their faction, Quanato or Temoz, each of which who have kings who rule the faction.

 

CW

 

Graphics

Country Wars Online’s graphics would be good… four years ago. The graphics don’t stack among most 3D games at all, but can be a practical solution for someone with an aged computer. The user interface serves its purpose, although the bottom bar can be a little too packed. The graphics within the game has many issues, first starting with texture errors, while moving, my camera often jumped to area under the game’s ground region, causing me to completely lose track of where my character was going, and even die at some points. It seems like a minor issue that can easily be fixed, but the game has been out for about two years and this hasn’t been fixed as of yet. In conclusion, graphics are fine for players with older computers.

 

Final Verdict

Country Wars doesn’t offer much to the average MMO gamer. However, for players with a very (VERY!) low-end computer, this game might be an option. It doesn’t offer much in terms of gameplay or graphics, and is relatively packed with bugs and glitches that can ruin a gameplay experience quickly. If you’re an experienced gamer, chances are this game will not be of your interest.

 

Pros:
– Low requirements and good option for players with low-end PC
– Mercenary system
– Interesting and addicting pet system
– Recurring conflict between factions brings intensity.

 

Cons:
– Plagued by bugs and glitches
– No character customization
– Skill system is painstaking
– HP recovery and certain game mechanics uncomfortable.

Nexon America officially launches Vindictus, the first true physics-based action online game

Nexon America officially launches Vindictus, the first true physics-based action online game

 

Nexon America announces the launch of Vindictus, an action-packed massively multiplayer online game that is revolutionizing the free-to-play market.  Collaborating with Valve, Nexon has created a breakthrough experience that truly brings physics alive in a brutally elegant world offering players epic adventures and grand challenges.

 

Vindictus is a physics-based action online role-playing game that combines stunning visuals with high-speed combat using Valve’s modified Source EngineTM. The modified Source Engine enables actions like throwing debris or enemy corpses, shattering walls, binding monsters with chains, dramatic hand-to-hand grappling, as well as affecting wear and tear on armor.

 

“With the launch of Vindictus, free-to-play gaming will never be the same,” said Daniel Kim, Nexon America’s CEO. “The high-quality content and amazing physics in Vindictus will make it hard for players to believe that this game is free. Vindictus is the leading example of Nexon’s efforts to forever change what players will expect from free-to-play games. More than that, Vindictus is just plain fun.”

 

Vindictus

 

At launch, Vindictus is unlocking a powerful female mage character, Evie. Evie and her magic skills join Lann, the male dual-sword wielding brawler, and Fiona, the female sword and shield bearing fighter. Highly anticipated by players, Evie can summon a golem, heal injured comrades and unleash fire bolts. Players will be able to access all three characters and the three available episodes at launch. Access tokens will also be refilled three times a week. Players who participated in the previous open beta phases will be able to transfer their characters, rank, loot and other earned elements during the official launch.

 

For more information, players can visit the official website

Star Trek: Infinite Space

Star Trek: Infinite Space will be a free-to-play casual browser game, set in the Deep Space Nine timeline. You can choose between two playable factions: Join the Federation or become a Klingon. The game uses Unity3D (browser plugin), no additional download will be necessary.

To ensure that a full Star Trek feeling is achieved, Star Trek experts Mike and Denise Okuda are assisting the production team. Lee Sheldon, the experienced game designer, author, producer and script writer will be writing the storyline and game missions.

Ten Most Awesome Mounts in MMORPGs

Ten Most Awesome Mounts in MMORPGs
By Kei Beneza (dividelife) & Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalists

 

Mounts, love them or hate them you’d never really see a MMORPG without them. They’ve become the new status quo for MMORPGs. Players get the idea on how high a level or how much time, money or both they have spent on your game simply through the mounts they possess. The fun thing about mounts is that, even if their primary function is the same, the types of mounts you encounter vary depending on the genre or the type of game you’re playing. There are different kinds of mounts in each game, allowing players to pick the one that works for them.

 

We have compiled a list of mounts that we consider awesome among the vast number of MMORPGs out there. We’ll be giving our thoughts on why we think it’s awesome or not. But before that I must say though that there may be a whole lot of other mounts we may have missed, there’s too many games out there and me and Kei are just two people with limited but varied experience in a lot of MMORPGs out there so do drop us a message if you think you have a mount you consider awesome and we can do a part II of the article!

 

Now, here’s the run down-drum rolls please…

 

10) Riding Lizard – NeoSteam

The first mount in our list is from the F2P game, NeoSteam. This mount is a temporary,7-day, mount you get by completing the game’s exploration quest. I consider this an awesome mount because, number one, it’s a freaking lizard you get to ride on! Number two, you control the lizard with a dangling piece of meat on a pole. Now who lets you control a carnivorous lizard with a piece of meat? I mean, I find that really awesome in a weird way, and I really enjoyed seeing my character “driving” the lizard with that piece of meat. It’s pretty comical and adds novelty to the whole game.

 

Lizard

 

The Riding Lizard is really a unique and awesome mount because it’s not your usual dragon-horse-car-wolf mount that you always get to see in MMORPGs.

 

9) Limousine Bike – FlyFF

The limousine bike comes from FlyFF. This mount is pretty awesome because this is a one of a kind item for Flyff players. You can’t buy this mount, nor will monsters drop it. The only way for you to acquire this bike is to be elected as the Lord of the server. So I’m considering this pretty awesome not just because of the way it looks but of the exclusivity of the mount. I’m not really much of a fan of such rides but acquiring one for two weeks is awesome enough seeing how hard it is to come by. Think about it… it’s a speed-bike and a luxury car at the same time. Is that not worth fighting for?

 

Limobike

 

8) Aerogear – Perfect World

While at first glance this may seem to be a way of overcompensating, I consider the human’s flying mount in Perfect World a pretty awesome mount. You are riding a flaming sword that FLIES I mean come on, I don’t think players are too jaded to think that flying flaming swords are passé. In martial arts movies you can only stare at wonder at those Chinese martial artists who seem to fly while stepping on swords, in Perfect World, you get to live it through your character! I think that’s as close as we can get-until they invent actual hover boards that look like swords.

 

Aerogear

 

7) Snow Mammoth – Age of Conan

With Mammoths bidding goodbye at the end of the Ice age (or saying hello in the Ice Age movie) we don’t really get a chance to experience how it feels to ride those big furry beasts. However, In Age of Conan, we are given the opportunity to experience how it must have felt to ride a mammoth through our characters.  If you really want to know how it feels to ride a big mammoth, you can probably go to Indonesia and ride their modern descendants (but that would be a hassle now would it?).  Well, since we are all not that adventurous, I think it’s best that we enjoy the mammoth’s online version for now, especially since plane tickets are worth tons of in-game items.

 

Mammoth

 

6) Astral Ships- Allods Online

Astral ships hail from the MMO, Allods Online. Basically, they’re big ships that can serve as a house for players and as a means of transportation and exploration for guilds and groups. The Astral Ship requires you to have a group handy or you can’t use it. I consider this pretty awesome because the astral ship is in itself a game changer for Allods. The inclusion of the Astral Ship system opens up game features that you don’t normally see in MMOs.

 

The other thing I liked about Astral Ships is that they provide you with more things to do in the game aside from the usual dungeon runs and raiding parties. This also sets Allods Online apart from the other MMORPGs.  I also liked the fact that Astral Ships are HUGE and the details helps in the player immersion. It lets you feel like that you actually are in a ship and that you have a ragtag group of shipmates off to one adventure after another in your ship.  I mean come on, I don’t think anyone wouldn’t love to feel like a pirate once in a while and you get to do it through the Astral Ships.

 

5) Massive Armored Unit (MAU) – RF Online

Massive Armored Units, otherwise known as MAUs are battle-mounts that are exclusive to the Bellato Federation (one of the races in the game). Unlike the typical mount, these gigantic robots do not make you move faster or jump higher in any way; however, it grants the Bellato Federation with massive armour (hence the name) points, along with a powerful mechanical punch, that allows them to take down numerous enemies. MAUs can be used by clicking on the MAU key in your inventory. There are tons of MAUs to choose from, depending on your rider’s level.

 

Anyway, despite its massively armoured goodness, the almighty MAU also has its drawbacks. One thing that makes it hard to own one is the hefty repair fee.  The more powerful the MAU, the higher the charges (sigh) are.  And to think purchasing one is expensive enough. I don’t really know how players are able to maintain their MAUs, but do trust me when I say that you’ll need to do some serious grinding to power up your unit. Is it still worth having? Hell yeah, it is!

 

4) Celestial Steed- World of Warcraft

If you’re looking for an elegant mount that’s on par with the awesomeness of the robot unicorn theme (then the Celestial Steed is the one for you. What’s really awesome about this mount is that its body is made entirely of stars, giving the term celestial body a whole new meaning. Another awesome feature that makes this horse so dazzling is its twinkling trail. Yes folks, the mount leaves a trail of sparks as you gallop across the screen, leaving your enemies in confusion and awe.

 

WARNING: Too much twinkling may have serious effects on your manhood. If twinkling persists, consult your doctor

 

It doesn’t really have any unique features, but the horse is as stylish as a robot unicorn with truckasaurus mufflers. You can probably just pass by your enemies and enslave them in their own femininity. So far, the only thing wrong about this mount is that it isn’t available for everyone and can only be acquired through Blizzard’s online marketplace. MUST GET NAO! twinkle twinkle!

 

3) Wyvern – Lineage II

Alright, I know it’s a bit old, but DRAGONs are still mandatory for an epic adventure. The fact that you’re able to soar the sky on a FRIGGIN dragon with those big reptilian wings (that flap like avians) make it a marvellous experience for everyone, and though many have tried, nothing can beat the awesomeness of Lineage II’s Wyvern. Dragons are known to be the beast of beasts, and to own one can gauge how powerful your character is.

 

Wyvern

 

Anyway, although these Dragons look completely badass, you are not allowed to hurt a single monster while mounted. Yes, it does suck, especially when you’re so excited to wreak havoc upon acquiring one. The good part is that you’re able to use your dragon’s fiery breath to hurt enemy players in PVP. I guess that should make up for it. I don’t mean to be a total fanboy, but LOOK AT IT! Riding such a thing would make you look like the EVIL DEATHBRINGER OF THE EVIL DEATHBRINGERS (or the Dark Lord of the Eternal Beyond XD). HELL YEAH! Sound the drums of war! I’m flying over *kick-ass electric guitar riff*.

 

2) Liberty Mount – Fiesta Online

What’s better than a dragon, celestial steed, and a gigantic robot MAU combined? I’ll tell you what… THE FRIGGIN statue of Liberty…………. ON A STICK!!! Yes that’s right! Fiesta Online decided to reward patriots by launching this awesome piece of work on the Fourth of July. It’s a bit awkward if you ask me, especially since it’s basically half stick and half head, but hell, if I can’t get Santa’s sleigh for a mount, then I might as well ride Lady Liberty to victory (gosh, that didn’t sound right). ONWARD! Just to make it clear, this mount is for aesthetical purposes only. If you think this mouth throws flaming torches of freedom, then sorry to disappoint you.

 

Liberty

 

1) PECO-PECO – Ragnarok Online

Now who in God’s green earth can forget the Peco peco? Weren’t you just so jealous of that knight that zipped by you while you were slowly working your way to Geffen?  Did you not ask yourself “WHAT THE HELL?!”, because I surely did. Back then, people used to rely on the Kafra system to get around, and even then, it had limited destinations. Once you get there, you’ll have to walk three maps to the east to get to your proper grind spot. It’s a mandatory journey that consists of “CLICK TO THE RIGHT x n”. To make matters worse, when you get to your aforementioned grind spot, the knight on the Peco Peco is already there, killing enemies that were supposed to be yours.

 

…IF YOU ONLY HAD THAT PECO PECO…. it’d probably take fewer clicks to get there :).

 

Peco

 

Ragnarok Online is one of the first games that introduced the mount-system to MMO gamers, and although it was as awesome as hell, there was one teeny-weeny problem… That FRIGGIN BIRD is exclusive to the knight class. I think everyone knows how awesome it is to ride that Chocobo-ripoff since I do remember a time when knights (and ONLY knights) roamed the world of Ragnarok Online. So What makes this mount AWESOME? Well, It made everyone turn into knights! XD

 

Mount-mania

Well then, there you go! I really wish we could name more, but I suppose we’ll just have to wait for the next instalment. Hmmm… I wonder when they’ll put that Godzilla mount I was hoping for (complete with the atomic breath).