Yearly Archives: 2010

Lord Of The Rings Online: One Ring To Rule All Gamers

Lord Of The Rings Online: One Ring To Rule All Gamers
By Kei Beneza (Dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Lord of The Rings Online is an MMORPG based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of The Rings franchise, that spawned a movie trilogy and countless video game titles. The game was released in 2007 by Turbine, the company responsible for games like Dungeons & Dragons Online and Ascheron’s Call. Why settle for less when you can actually pick the game that really started it all? Well, Lord of The Rings Online (LOTRO) may not be the ancestral tree of MMO gaming (because I may have exaggerated a bit), but there’s no doubt that it spawned straight from the fantasy world’s origins.

 

LOTRO originally started as a pay to play game made to rival other premium P2P games like World of Warcraft. The game eventually joined the F2P family upon reaching its third year of service, which is probably a blessing for most MMO gamers as we rarely see premium MMO games go free to play. Anyway, as you may have guessed, the game is set in the soils of Middle Earth where unspoken characters (such as yourself) are busy fending off other sources of evil while Elijah Wood and Sean Astin tries to reach a pit of lava to save the world. Since the world of Lord of The Rings offers enough lore, monsters, and diversity to keep players entertained, there’s no doubt that J.R.R Tolkien’s masterpiece feels perfect in the form of an MMORPG. It’s as if the story itself was meant to be populated by players since Tolkien decided to create the story. But don’t take my word for it. Let’s see what else we can find in Middle Earth.

 

 

Starting Up: I wanna be Uruk Hai

Despite its origins, Lord of the Rings Online still plays like your regular premium MMO. Regardless of its founding origins, the whole originality factor does apply to its MMO version. After logging in for the first time, players are opted to create their first character. Note that you are only allowed to create a single character per account. Any additional character slots after that are acquired through Turbine points, which technically means real cash.

 

There are four races to choose from: Human, Dwarf, Elf and the trademarked Hobbit. Maybe it’s just me, but I really wish everyone wasn’t forced to play the good guys by default. It IS a role playing game after all, and having orcs and wraiths as playable races should boost the possibilities and replay value for both roleplayers and PVP lovers. It is a WAR-themed MMO to begin with, and being at war with the AI alone can be pretty…. linear. Anyway, each race has their own unique racial abilities that allow them to both feel and play differently from other races sharing the same class. Also, not all classes can be picked by all races, so make sure you think hard before picking your race.

 

There are nine classes in the game: Burglar, Captain, Champion, Guardian, Hunter, Lore-Master, Minstrel, Rune Keeper, and Warden. The best part about this selection is that they play quite differently from each other, unlike other games that only feature minor differences, resulting to a clonefest of utter proportions. So far, my only gripe about the game’s character creation is their take on the Rune Keeper and Warden, which are both pay to play characters. You want them? Charge up on turbine points. T_T.

 

Once you’re done with your character’s class, you’ll be prompted to customize your character’s looks. As far as diversity is concerned, the game has enough hairstyles and features to keep your character unique. This is a big plus in my opinion, as most MMOs don’t have much to choose from.

 

 

Questing: Further Immersion

With lores branching out from the depths of middle earth, you can bet you AXE there’ll be tons of quests to follow. First of all, I would like to say that the quests in this game are presented very well (probably the best there is at the moment). There’s a lot of diversity when it comes to the game’s questing system. The NPC to PC interaction is so superb, it actually feels like you’re playing a singleplayer game. Comparng it to the likes of WoW and DDO, I’d say LOTRO’s quests are second to none. Anyway, aside from traditional questing, LOTRO also offers ‘Deed’ quests, which are tasks that reward players with character bonuses and awesome titles. At first I thought deed quests were  nothing but cheap sidelines, that is until one took me hours to complete. There are tons of deed quests in the game, meaning there will always be something to do outside the main storyline. 

Graphics: GO 3D MIDDLE EARTH

The graphics are actually pretty good, especially when you’re running the game on high specs. The best part about this game is that it has two different clients that separates strong computers from weak ones. If you think your PC can’t handle anything higher than WoW, then might as well go with the standard client; however, if you think your PC can handle a visual beating, then the highres client is for you. Middle Earth has never been this beautiful, and the mere fact that you’re allowed to explore the awesome world of Lord of The Rings in full 3d makes it an honorable experience. The spells and effects look charming, and the lighting effects greatly complements the skills’ execution. Also, in accordance to what I’ve said about the game’s quests, the game does not offer a static background for players to travel in. One good example would be the starting quest for elves where other elves are busy protecting their precious artifact. I’m telling you, I crapped in my pants after seeing them tear down that building ingame. This is perhaps one of the things that are considered rare in MMO gaming. Once you mix singleplayer elements with MMO gameplay, you can never go wrong.

 

 

Verdict

There’s definitely a lot of stuff to ponder on when playing Lord of The Rings Online. Not only is this game blessed with a rich lore and stunning graphics, it also contains the most up to date MMO features like raids, battlegrounds, and utmost PVP. The quests are quite rewarding, and the storydriven gameplay guarantees nonstop fun for both LOTR fans and non-fans alike. The graphics are really impressive and would most likely keep you in the state of visual bliss as you journey across Middle Earth’s ever changing areas. Again, it’s such a shame that everyone’s forced to play hero by default, but who knows? Maybe we’ll get to play Uruk Hai soon :3. Tolkien would probably jump for joy if he lived to see this game come to life.

 

Pros:
– Questing bonanza
– Character Customization selections
– Diverse areas
– Storydriven gameplay
– Excellent graphics.

 

Cons:
– Some classes need to be bought
– It would be nice to play as the enemy…. really…
– Some hud elements overlap ingame.

Final Fantasy XI Version Update: Level Cap Raised, Abyssea Feature and More

Final Fantasy XI Version Update: Level Cap Raised, Abyssea Feature and More

 

The latest version update has been quite tumultuous primarily caused by the increase in level cap but new features such as Abyssea have also shaken up the way things are done.  This update will not disappoint. 

 

Level Cap Increase

It’s finally here, the first of three scheduled raises in the level cap. Almost every job now has a new ability to help enhance its performance. Some of the more exciting abilities are the addition of refresh to the Blue Mage job as well as their ability to now dual wield weapons. Samurai gains an ability which enhances the damage done by skill chains and their subsequent magic bursts. Black Mage now has the use of Mana Wall which shields them from damage using their mp pool.

 

In order to facilitate the new level cap the level restrictions in the Chains of Promathia areas have been removed and new monsters have been added of the appropriate levels.  Even some non-level capped zones have had monsters added, such as birds to Misareaux Coast. 

 

FFXI Abyssea
Abyssea

 

Abyssea

There are many new Notorious Monsters (NMs) in this vast new area that are spawned using a variety of methods. Some are timed spawns with no place holders, while others require a trigger item dropped off common monsters in the area. There are also zone specific bosses that are spawned using key items dropped off other NMs in the area. In addition to this there is a new line of Voidwalker NMs here involving the “Empty” family type monsters. All monsters in these zones also have certain weaknesses which are noted by pair of giant exclamation marks over their bodies.

 

Perhaps the most innovative aspect of Abyssea is how experience parties work within. Not only is it beneficial  to enter as an alliance, but they’ve also brought back the necessity of having a well balanced group of melee and mages. To get a truly successful run going, players must kill monsters with auto attacks to build up, or level, Pearl Light first for the first 45 minutes. Once chests begin dropping from monsters with greater than approximately 80% chance, players will need to switch to magic kills which give an Azure Light, and when fully leveled will drop ten minute time extensions. There are seven lights in total and once they have been maxed out, the Gold Light (acquired from opening red chests) will cap at 610 experience points per monster killed.

 

During all this activity you will be acquiring a new currency called Cruor.  With Cruor new armor sets can be bought.  Both the plate and leather sets feature the popular haste attribute on them, making them very attractive sets for their jobs.  The mage set, once completed, grants a bonus to Fast Cast as well as the normal properties on its pieces.  Cruor is also used to gain temporary items such as HP boost, MP boost and various stat boosts.  Adventurers can also purchase temporary items that will stay with them until their timer runs out, so be sure to leave with at least 5 minutes remaining and the game will keep track of items for the next time.

 

Walk of echoes
Walk of Echoes

 

Walk of Echoes

Stepping into the world of Atomos, adventurers will find a very utilitarian world. Currently there are seven instances, although at first only three are open to adventurers. Anyone can enter these areas and as such, players only have to keep an eye out for groups entering and they can go assist them and share in the spoils. Once inside a zone, it is scored much like Campaign is, meaning players must perform a certain amount of actions during a certain amount of time to score high enough to access the group loot pool.  The top 5 scoring people will receive a chest of their own that spawns at their feet. In order to unlock the next tier up, a particular server must have beaten the prior zone in the sequence enough times. This means beat Area 1 enough times to unlock Area 4, beat Area 2 enough to unlock Area 5 and so forth.

 

Moblin Maze Mongers

The new Voucher 09 Revitalization Team isn’t so much about winning as it is about surviving. Players begin by choosing what monster they fight from a list of 3. The runes inserted in a maze give various buffs to assist with the fight. Provided enough damage is dealt to the monster,  players will then be rewarded with an experience points chest for their efforts along with a treasure chest that can contain any of the higher end drops from the level 75 gear. This includes popular sellables like Behemoth hides, Imperial Wootz Ingots and all manner of like drops. If players have CC points entering the maze, they will be rewarded with a personal treasure box with items in it as well. In order to advance to higher tiers, players must gain 5 points on their card. Beating a monster in the current tier will award them these 5 points. The third tier is where the real dangers begin: a dragon with the ability to cause instant KO every time it attacks, a Corse that casts Death and a Gnole that substantially heals itself. All of these also have access to 2hr abilities and can use them multiple times. The final monster at the end is similar to the NM Ixion, which should provide a challenge for even the hardiest of adventurers.

 

Moblins

 

New Nation Missions

The three nation story lines have been wrapped up in this version update so be sure to see the exiting final conclusions. The forces of Windurst march onward to Castle Oztroja for a final showdown with the Yagudo. The truth behind the actions of Klara and her relations with the demons will also be revealed, and what is the reason behind the apparent resurrection of Count Aurchiat?

 

Magian Weapons

The new Magian trials are underway for level 80 and many of them offer serious competition to previous weapons. Perhaps the most notable are the new staves with elemental augments that most players would find confusing. They are listed as “Element” damage +4, which in actual game terms means +20% more damage, making them slightly more potent than their predecessors, although a bit less accurate. A replacement for the seemingly insurmountable Hagun, the most popular weapon for Samurai, has even been found within the Magian trials of weapons. These weapons seem to be in line with a new era of ultimate weapons to follow in the paths of the Relic and Mythic ones before them. It remains yet to be seen what these weapons will eventually lead to at the end of their long journey.

Guild Wars 2 Reveals Scaling and Equipment Details

Guild Wars 2 Reveals Scaling and Equipment Details

 

NCsoft revealed details on their upcoming title Guild Wars 2 at Gamescom, Cologne. We have heard big promises about a truly innovative MMORPG, bringing the RPG element foward and battling against the grind. How will they make this happen? OnRPG joined their events to bring you the finer details.

Less class-play, more role-play

Upon character creation you see a polished setup with a very personal feel. You choose your magic line (not quite like a class, it will be more flexible than that) but you also choose your personality and answer a small list of questions which will affect your personal story in the game. Literally this means that the quests and story-world you will encounter match your character, and you will get a more authentic experience.

Against the Grind

In order to keep the combat interesting you will not simply follow a standard list of quests, but you will be joining random events as well while you travel and explore. Events may already be started by other players, and you can select to join the event automatically. The event then scales to the new amount of players and more mobs will join the combat to keep it interesting. Large groups can form this way and events will become larger and larger. The rewards are handed out per player, more or less scaled to their character’s status. This means, no more ninja-looters or full-scale accounting systems required!

 

Some interesting details include a freedom of movement throughout all combat; casting no-longer requires you to stand still. You have to aim, and keep moving, which looked very exciting during the presentation. Another interesting detail is that your equipment decides your role in battle more than your magic type or class (there are no designated tanks or healers anymore). You can easily switch to accomodate the team, or as you join a specific outdoor event. Of course, when more players join a big event like an outdoor boss kill, the boss scales up to be more powerful as well. Everything seems so balanced and free from restrictions that the resulting focus must be on gameplay, because everything else just sorts itself out. Does this lean more towards hardcore or casual in the end though?

The game pushes for a more social play-style. You can join each other on missions, and you will be scaled down to the level of the player on the mission. As an example, a level 80 player can join a level 5, but will then be scaled both in level and gear back down to 5 as well (And similarly a level 1 can join a level 80 player and spoil the end-game for himself, if he chooses to, hmm). This offers re-playability, detailed explanations by higher level characters and of course the option to venture into the other starting zones for another authentic leveling experience. The game feels very dynamic, but we have to wonder if that won’t break down the status of having reached a certain level or carrying certain gear.

Certain Credits

There will be several credit systems to ensure that both high level and low level play remain interesting, for example participation credits for quests and a leveling system for guilds. You have to also give NCsoft credit for opening up the discussions about bringing role-play to a higher level and truly battling both the grind and ninja-looting. The game will offer a lot of innovative features (though not all unique) together in an intensely deep experience.

The Good Old Days?

The Good Old Days?
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Good Old DaysTechnology has worked its way from being a helping hand to a necessity. Despite its advantages, not only did technology change our way of working and researching, but also our way of life. Let’s take a peek at the youth of this generation. Traditionally speaking, the children of today no longer enjoy playing with tops and toys like most of us did when we were kids. Now we see grade school students playing video games our parents used to keep us from during the early days. Being a third world country with little exposure to gaming, The Philippines was unable to enforce mature ratings to prevent these kids from accessing violent games like Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty. Not only does this matter revolve around a single country, but the rest of the world as well. Now, children can be found playing MMOs that they shouldn’t even be able to play yet. I was utterly surprised at how skilled today’s children were at handling the complex systems of most games. Now, children can actually play as well as adults (sometimes even better). So what ever happened to the hopscotch kids we knew back then?

 

Parental Guidance

The gaming world has become diverse with genres, and picking what’s right for their kids may be hard for those who don’t know about age ratings and such. Not all countries have implemented game ratings, which makes it even worse for parents who want to find the ideal game for their offspring. Kids have also become more computer literate than most adults, since computer literacy is now a mandatory feature in today’s education programs.

 

Good Old Days

 

It’s just a game! What could possibly be wrong about it? – Parent

 

Just A Game, They Said

One of the biggest causes of premature gaming is the stereotypical outlook most parents have over video games. Games were generally for kids during the old days, hence their carefree perspective. Not all parents have been exposed to “Mortal Kombat” during the early gaming era, which gives most adults the grand idea of games being made specifically for children. Let’s face it! Who knew that games could evolve into different genres that consist of guns blowing up heads and brutal wanton massacres?

 

Good Old Days

 

To prove this theory correct, I instructed a 12-year-old boy (my nephew) to buy me a copy Resident Evil 5 (a pretty violent game) from our local gaming store. Once there, the sales clerk asked if the boy’s PC had met the requirements necessary to play the game, and just like that, my nephew took off with a game specifically made for people who are 18 and above. Was it not the same as selling cigarettes to kids? The sales clerk was probably unaware of what she just sold.

 

Evolution of Behavior

 

Good Old DaysThe gaming world/online world is responsible for most of today’s childhood metamorphosis. Internet meme’s can also be considered as a hefty factor as modern virtual language is now being used religiously by people all over the Internet. Children younger than nine years old can breathe and shout “Noob” wherever you go.

 

At times children see this as the “in” thing and will execute such behaviour without realizing. We’re no longer living in the old days, which means that children will be exposed to all types of individuals, possibly from every corner of the globe, and acquire different expressions and behaviour during their online escapades.

 

Professional Views

 

I managed to get an Interview with Dr. Nicole Escutin, a Pediatrician and longtime gamer. Dr. Escutin is familiar with the situation at hand, and is also convinced that the children of today are much different from those who came before this era. According to him, exposure to such things can also be considered as a blessing, as these children can learn how to handle complexities, as well as exercise their ability to act on different situations. He does however, agree that the memes and too much exposure may not be good for the young individual and can resort to delinquency if not guided properly. So far, the only ones who can handle the situation are the parents, who can do nothing at this point as the content of the web is too diverse and broad for them to simply filter. Filtering adult sites can be easy, but not all adults know how. 

 

Another individual who aided us in our journey is Dr. Leynes, who is a Psychiatrist and a mother of three. She admits that video games have overrun the youth population and gives good effects if played with moderation. Career-wise, the video game industry has also opened up new forms of interest from where children can benefit as they immerse themselves in new technologies further. It can be considered as a learning experience, and negative effects born from this craze can be dissolved as these kids mature. Again, the doctor stated that the video game industry cannot be blamed for the children’s exposure to mature content, for there are also other sources to ponder on.

 

Games of Today

What ever happened to saving the princess? Perhaps we can say that the whole power pellet routine is getting old. Games have evolved further, giving birth to different genres that are no longer suitable for those who are below 17. Even the Wii (which is supposed to be a family console) now features games that can be offensive to some. To see this matter further, we visited different schools (all boys) and conducted a survey among grade schoolers, asking them about their favourite games (note that these children are only 8-10 years old).

 

Survey:
1). What are your favorite games?
2). Who buys you your games?
3). Why do you play video games?

 

As expected, the kids were fond of DOTA (Defense of the Ancients), Mario, Final Fantasy, Gran Turismo, and various MMOs like Ragnarok and Luna Online; however, not one of them passed a clean list, with adult titles like Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, Dragon Age (a game with sexual content) and Left 4 Dead also listed. As expected, the “who buys you your video games?” question worked like a charm, with 98% of the kids answering Mommy and Daddy. As for the remaining 2%, they got it from other members of the family (sure did not see that coming). The third question brought us generic answers like “it was fun” and “I like the story”, but it also gave us a few funny ones like “To be the best”, “To beat noobs”, and “kill zombies”.

 

Are Parents To Blame For The Negativity?

 

According to our specialists, absolutely. There is no excuse for not being able to monitor or moderate their child’s behaviour, and failure to do so only means that they are incapable of raising one. Today, parents are the ones who play damsels in distress, especially on news interviews regarding their child’s violent behaviour or negative game-acquired traits. An example is this video about MMO addiction in the news.

 

It’s funny whenever I see incapable parents who only fill themselves with regret when their kids pick these things up. World of Warcraft has a parental monitoring system, so the mother should stop being pathetic and start checking it out. Children tend to get their money from their parents anyway, so they should know who’s in charge. Issues like holes punched on the wall and keyboards thrown around the room may not be the average negativity when dealing with video games, but acting helplessly won’t solve it either.

 

Unhealthy Lifestyle

Aside from children, some adults no longer gain their needed exercises aside from finger and wrist movements, thanks to the addictive factor of computer games. Dr. Keith, from www.sun.co.uk’s Ask Dr. Keith states that the leisure hours once used for climbing trees and playing sports are now consumed through countless repetitions in the virtual world. The Net Doctor also said that he once saw his kids playing Virtual Tennis instead of simply going to the Tennis court down the road, and instead of breathing fresh air outside, kids today breathe in the sanctuary of their living room, playing video games for countless hours. [http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/health/health/drkeithhopcroft/article1615524.ece]

Lack of exercise can lead to heart problems and other unfortunate diseases, and today’s lifestyle lacks more than just exercise. Some of the people today no longer have a healthy body clock, staying up for countless hours while playing games and surfing on the Internet. Food problems can also be an issue as these people tend to skip meals and fail to eat on time. Exactly how much have we evolved since then?

 

Positive Effects

Good Old DaysAlthough it would seem that I have stated a lot of negative effects, the gaming world or virtual world in general has many positive effects on individuals. Just as the professionals suggested, games allow children to experience simulated situations where they should act with diplomacy, leadership, and must think quickly to work their way around scenarios. I believe that these skills are considered essential and can work wonders for them as they grow up. It also allows them to exercise their ability to research and learn more through the comforts of online services. Evolution in communication is also another beneficial factor in the online world, namely in MMOs where people can communicate with players from all over the world, adjusting to different traits as they continue to meet and converse with a diverse set of individuals.

 

Perhaps one reason why children today are exposed to life early is because of the vast information found on the web. Unlike before, information on certain things can be accessed at a click of a button. Imagine how pathetic we must be to dig through the library for information when doing research. The web is capable of answering questions in a flash as the information provided is not as static as books, and can be updated on a daily basis. Fun and games are not the only things your children can find online, and can be educational as well.

 

Criminal Tendencies

Due to the parents’ inability to admit their wrong doing, other extreme claims have been charged against Video games, such as the Columbine Massacre, where two armed students murdered their entire class. The two students were said to be hardcore DOOM and Wolfenstein players, which gave the parents the idea that video games (and Marilyn Manson LOL) were responsible for their child’s ill behavior.

According to Dr. Escutin, studies have proven that parents should not blame anyone but themselves for what happened in that school. Murderous tendencies are not brought about by video games, but by weak family structures and lack of guidance; in fact, the charges can be blamed on movies, television, or anything else we like if we want to continue pointing fingers. Stop whining, and start moderating.

 

Last Remarks

Parents should at least show a little interest in what their children are doing; video games have now become a big part of our culture, which means that they’re something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Video games are the same as reading books and watching movies/television in providing entertainment of various types, and it is the parent’s job to moderate accordingly. There is little difference in exposing children to violent games and exposing them to other various media types available today. If parents can’t guide their kids appropriately, then they’ll forever be stereotypical jerks who blame everything on everyone but themselves. There’s no doubt that peace and order was easily achievable back then in the GOOD OLD DAYS, but continuing to live back in the 80’s won’t do them much good. Humans will continue to move forward, which is why you must always update yourself with your child’s activities. I can only think of the possibilities available once our technology evolves further. Stop muttering about the good old days and start moderating the good new future.  

Warhammer Online Announces the ‘RvR Pack’

Warhammer Online Announces the ‘RvR Pack’


In an interview today at the GamesCom in Cologne, Germany Carrie Gouskos, Producer for Warhammer Online, disclosed the first details of an upcoming ‘RvR Pack’. Carrie would not give out the name yet but she did tell us that while Skaven are involved they will not be implemented as a standard race that players can play from level one. “We want to do something… different with Skaven” – She said.

 
On top of that the pack will introduce 20 new renown ranks, letting players go to Renown rank 100! To make sure that lower renown rank players don’t get disheartened they will be making the progression through the renown ranks on earlier levels smoother.
 
With the RvR pack Bioware Mythic wants to move away from the standard “Release a huge expansion every 2 years.” system and wants to adopt a system that allows players to “customize their game experience”.
 
Even though this may sound like a move towards a Free to play system Andy Belford, Community Manager, was quick to annouce “We’re currently not looking into the Free to Play model at all.” Carrie added “We are learning from the Free to Play model, adopting the things that empower the players to shape their own game experience.”
 
Other things that the team are currently exploring are often requested items such as Name Changes and Server Transfers.
 
We’ll keep you posted on the developments here at the GamesCom!

 

Warhammer Online Realm vs Realm

The Three Kingdoms Online Review: History was Never This Fun

The Three Kingdoms Online Review: History was Never This Fun
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist

 

At first glance, Three Kingdoms Online game seems to be similar to a lot of the browser based games out there. You have the usual resource gathering- structure building gameplay that just uses the three kingdoms era of Chinese history.

 

Three Kingdoms Resources

 

However, as I got to play the game and immerse myself into Three Kingdoms Online a little more, I see a browser game that was made by people who thought outside of the box, creating a wonderful browser game that incorporates different MMOMMO elements that are never seen in a browser games like this.

 

Does not play like a Browser game

For a browser based game, I find it interesting that Three Kingdoms Online plays like a strategy PC game like Civilization rather than a browser based game. Sure you have all the elements of what makes a browser game present in Three Kingdoms Online but the added game systems makes you think otherwise. The best example of this would be the special events that happen during play in Three Kingdoms. There are instances where a pop-up appears in your interface that shows you a random event. These special events provide random situations that either serve to help or harm you. These special events remind me of the random events that happen in Civilization. The events that are triggered may either be good or bad depending on your play style.

 

Three Kingdoms Event

 

The game also puts your heroes on a pedestal as characters that serve a higher purpose for you instead of just being units that can kill people better. The emphasis on your heroes brings a semi-MMORPG-ish feel into the game because aside from training them you can also equip them with skills, armor and weapons to further develop them as fighting units. Plus, they can also become governors in your cities, which eventually add bonuses to that city.

 

MMO elements

Speaking of the MMORPG-ish feel, Three Kingdoms Online has two game systems that are practically based on MMORPG elements that you don’t expect to see in a browser game, namely: grand melee and king of the hill. Grand melee is a Three Kingdoms Online game system that uses a tournament type of battle system for your heroes to take part in. Grand melee is separated into two types, the Battle Arena and the Warrior’s Tournament. The Battle Arena pits your selected hero against other heroes in order for you to earn fame, which in turn can be exchanged for powerful items, while the warrior’s tournament is an elimination tournament where winners are given extra experience points.

 

The Grand Melee
The Grand Melee

 

King of the Hill on the other hand is a Three Kingdoms Online game system that mimics the siege system found on a lot of MMORPGs. In usual siege fashion, your hero and a select number of units get to attack an NPC controlled city, once you acquire that city you are then tasked to defend it against other players for as long as you can. These two game systems add variety that you do not normally seen in browser games. Not only are they trying to stretch what you can do in Three Kingdoms Online, they can also increase your desire to keep on playing the game by setting time-based goals that you can aim for.

 

King Of The Hill
King of the Hill

 

Concentrating on your Heroes

The emphasis in Three Kingdoms Online on the role of heroes as just glorified unnamed overpowered units provides you with some sort of familiar character to hold on to. The expanded capabilities of your heroes in Three Kingdoms Online and the fact that they are not just units with the tag “hero” posted beside their name allows for a connection that you do not normally find if they’re nameless units. This connection that heroes have with you provides you with enough driving force and reason to keep on coming back to Three Kingdoms Online in the hopes of strengthening them for the battles ahead.

 

Shortcomings

However, Three Kingdoms Online is still a browser game no matter how you put it and it’s the limitations of browser based games that pull the game down. I cannot deny the fact that even with the numerous features the game has it still lacks enough power to hold you interested for long. Furthermore, the game starts really slow, as is the usual case in browser based games of this type and that’s the make or break period of Three Kingdoms Online for you. You get to enjoy the bulk of the game’s features during the middle to late stages of the game but there is a high possibility that you will drop the game by then.

 

Three Kingdoms
Big map doesn’t specify big adventure

 

Conclusion

Three Kingdoms Online is a very ambitious take on the browser based game genre and as far as I can see it has delivered a very serious and innovative game for us players to enjoy. Plus I liked the fact that the game can be enjoyed by almost everyone even to those who are not fond of playing browser based games. However, the game’s strength is its weakness and to be able to maximize the experience this game delivers is solely based on your patience as a gamer. Your patience however is aptly rewarded when you get to take part and enjoy the various features the game has in store for you. So if you are a fan of browser based games and are currently looking for something out of the ordinary in your browser games, Three Kingdoms Online is a must-play browser game for you. Just be sure that once you try the game out, you tolerate the slow paced start of the game, and when you do, that’s where the fun starts.

 

Pros:
– Has a lot of MMORPG-inspired game systems
– Features are unusual for browser based games
– Heroes are not faceless characters.

 

Cons:
– Slow start
– Getting resources feels all to generic
– Takes a lot of time to play.

Ren Game

REN is an online multiplayer card game, played on the browser, in which you can create your avatar and take part in exciting fights against thousands of players. Your avatar can be completely personalised using a multitude of options. You have to embody one of the three races, which include: the mysterious Yaos, the terrifying Nuvas and the enigmatic Shens. Once you have created your avatar, it will become more powerful with each fight you win and with the objects you kit it out with.

You will never cease to be amazed at the countless possibilities the game system offers, despite the incredible simplicity of handling. You will be able to take on your mates during friendly games and practise to be ready for the many tournaments and events where you can win some great prizes.

Microsoft Announces Age of Empires Online

Microsoft Announces Age of Empires Online


Just in time for the GamesCom 2010 Microsoft announces Age of Empires Online

Everyone who always dreamed to take Age of Empires into an MMO direction will feel like they have gotten their wish. The game will take place in Greece.

Greece: ancient land of beauty, reason, passion … and war. A peninsula of feuding city-states populated by noble warriors and wise philosophers, Greece stands ready to resist any invaders who underestimate their power. Help guide the Greeks to their rightful place as the strongest of ancient empires.

On top of the resource management and warfare game-play mechanics that we would all expect from a proper Age of Empires game it will also include Crafting and a pretty deep itemisation system.

 

Charge across the river

 

The most important feature however will of course be that it will be multi-player! Both Coop as well as full on PvP is supported!

Top Speed Review: It Will Never Compare

Top Speed Review: It Will Never Compare
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist

 

Ah a casual game— it doesn’t demand too much time but is great fun despite its repetitive nature. Much like Crazy Kart and Drift City, Top Speed takes players straight to the high-speed ring to see who’s the fastest among the racers. Crash Team Racing, Mario Kart, Sonic R, these games have made their mark in their respective genre; however, despite their awesome style of game play, you can’t deny that it could have been better if the game allowed you to race more human opponents. This is what brings us to the MMO side where you’ll be racing so many human opponents you’ll wish you had more NPS racers around. The game takes you through an array of diverse tracks where you must outlast each of your opponents, so put your pedal to the metal and RACE ON!

Cart-acter Customization

 

Top Speed Creation

 

1) Character Name
2) Gender
3) Zodaic
4) Hairstyle
5) Face preset
6) Body preset
7) Location

 

Much like your average MMO, you’ll be prompted to create your character upon logging in. You can choose between a small array of pre-made features to design your character. There isn’t really much to make your character that unique in the long run and you may even have clones of your face when you start the game, but since this game focuses on the carts and not the characters, this flaw doesn’t count. Truth be told, the character creation interface doesn’t really help much, with trivial info that must be filled in just for you to start racing. I mean, come on! Zodiac?

 

If you think RPG characters are the only ones who can be customized, you’ll be surprised at what Top Speed has to offer. Instead of simply giving players different cars (or carts) to drive, the game lets players customize their carts to suit their desired play style (or driving style). You can choose to optimize your steering if ever you’re having problems with the curves and snake hairpins; if not, then feel free to just boost your overall speed to move one step closer to victory. Upgrades consist of engine parts, enhanced brakes, and other car parts that will make any player happy with its hefty customization interface.

 

Top Speed Cart Info

 

Go speed go!

Top speed has a good set of tracks that run and feel different from one another. Believe me when I say that you’ll be reliving your Mario Kart days after driving along these tracks. From haunted castles to ancient civilizations, what’s not to like?

 

It’s all about the Carts: a talk on technicalities

Although Top Speed is a racing game, the technicalities required aren’t really that of a racing game. Note that everything in the game depends on the player’s carts with little matter on how well they drive (unless you just really suck at racing). Imagine Wacky Races (the cartoon with Dick Dastardly and Muttley). The game reserves the same concept in a way; with items that you must acquire in the middle of the race in order to give you the upper hand or just disturb your opponent’s rhythm. The game does play remarkably well and demands a bit of skill, but comparing it to the likes of Need for Speed and Initial D won’t do you much good. It’s really a casual game (like Mario Kart and Nickelodeon racing), making it equally fun for all ages.

 

An MMO nonetheless

As I have stated earlier on this review, you’ll be upgrading your Carts to further compliment your driving skills. This is done by purchasing/acquiring upgrades through shops and quest rewards (yes there are quests). There are also a number of gems that will juice up your so keep upgrading to gain the upper hand over your opponents. Although the rewards for upgrading your cart are remarkably awesome, note that this is still an MMO and failure will always be there to haunt you in your journey to become the best. This means that you also have a chance to fail every time you upgrade, consuming the item used and even removing your last upgrades. A big pain in the butt, but it is pretty normal in the land of MMOs.

 

Top Speed Fast

 

Quests

Yes you heard right! Unlike most MMOs, Quests make up most of the money earned in this game. There are 3 types of Quests all in all: Buff, Map, and Dailies. Quests can earn you a lot of cash as well as experience (depending on which quest you finish) so don’t forget to grab your dailies before challenging players. Since your success rate depends entirely on how well you play and whom you are racing with, the linearity of the game is reduced to a minimum, granting you a diverse experience every time you start a race.

 

Graphics and Interface

Top Speed uses the same cartoony anime-ish cell shaded system as its racing predecessors. The tracks are brightly colored and are light on the eyes, making it quite fun to just look around while in the middle of a dogfight. As for the interface, it really looks quite impressive as it has implemented the driving feel quite well, with a brilliant lay out that screams DRIVING wherever you go. The icons don’t look half bad with race themed buttons that complement the game’s interface.

 

READY? SET? JUDGE!

Top speed is actually a pretty good game in my opinion, but overall it’s mostly the same as its predecessors. Face it, the game uses the same system as most of the other battle cart racing games out there, with an easy to grasp control scheme and a whole lot of mayhem that keeps players from finishing the race unharmed (LOL). It’s not a bad game, but I’m just saying that it doesn’t have that much to offer compared to other MMO racing games. Regardless of how well you drive, there will always be that missile trailing you from behind. This is what the game is all about; small drifts and everything is handed over to the gods of chaos (LOL). For a casual game, it really is that damn good.

 

The good:
– Customization interface
– Lots of tracks to keep you busy
– Quests
– Is just simply fun.

 

The bad:
– Nothing new here
– Gets old easily
– Item mall offers enough advantage for players to hog the race.

Age of Empires Online

Greece: ancient land of beauty, reason, passion … and war. A peninsula of feuding city-states populated by noble warriors and wise philosophers, Greece stands ready to resist any invaders who underestimate their power. Help guide the Greeks to their rightful place as the strongest of ancient empires.

 

The fate of the Greek Empire is in your hands, and from your Capital City you will strengthen your economy, improve your technologies, and embark on quests to expand your influence across the Mediterranean. Custom-design your Capital City as it grows into a center for civilization, using blueprints to build custom buildings that open doors to the rest of the world.