Yearly Archives: 2019

Skull and Bones

Skull and Bones is an upcoming RPG developed by Ubisoft where players can become pirates and command their very own warship. Players can sail the Indian Oceans by themselves in a singleplayer campaign or find up to five other players to either align with or engage with in fierce naval combat that only the truest of pirates can handle. If you’ve ever wanted to live the life of a pirate – charging around the sea and swinging your entire ship around to deliver a massive volley of firepower, then Skull and Bones is for you.

Business Model: Buy to Play

Microtransactions: Unknown, but Ubisoft, so… yes.

Key Features:

Customizable Captain: Make your captain look as fierce as they can be to strike fear into the heart’s of your opponents.

PvP Matches: Enjoy a variety of different PvP game modes where teams of players will face off against each other with their massive ships like Loot Hunt.

Accurate Ship Movement: Swing your ship around to line up a volley of fire and make sure you’re taking the wind direction into account with your movements.

Grepolis

Conquer ancient Greece in this city building strategy game, free to play in your browser or on your mobile device.

Business Model: Free to Play

Microtransactions: Yes – reduce build, production, or construction times.

Key Features:

Construct: Turn your tiny town into a mega metropolis, filled with World Wonders that will be talked about through the ages!

Combat: Train mighty armies populated not only with hopli, but also powerful creatures prominent in Greek mythology.

Dragon Nest

Dragon Nest is an action-based MMORPG with skill based combat using the mouse to aim rather than tab targeting.

Business Model: Free to Play

Microtransactions: Yes – In game cash shop.

Key Features:

8 Core Classes: Each core class has advancement tiers, most of them with two separate paths. There are all together 45 different sub classes to play!

PvP Arenas: Dragon Nest takes their unique systems and puts them to the test in dazzling skill based PvP arenas, featuring up to 16 players at one time. They are auto-balanced by keeping track of a player’s skill to match them against similarly skilled players in the future.

Customizable Dungeons: Whether alone or with a group, wanting a cake walk or a controller throw inducing gauntlet, Dragon Nest has you covered. You can customize the dungeons to your liking, with rewards matching the effort put into them.

Dazzling Cut Scenes: Don’t like reading quests? Dragon Nest will keep  you in the loop with animated and voiced cut scenes detailing the finer details of the main plotline.

Live Action MMO Combat: Targeting is becoming a thing of the past. Dragon Nest forces players to aim each strike to strike at your aims. Using a small cursor, you will line up magic, hammer swings, and arrows to puncture your enemies. Do you have the skill to focus skill shots while dodging vicious enemies? Give the game a try and find out what real action combat is all about.

Aion

Aion is a persistent-world online role-playing game featuring breathtaking exploration across a gorgeous fantasy world, challenging group content and solo dungeons, as well as massive faction v. faction multiplayer battles.  Dive into a land of of mythical elegance and looming doom. Play your part in the rapidly approaching conflict against the nefarious Dragon Lords as an unkillable winged Daeva of legend.

Business Model: Free-to-Play

Microtransactions: Yes, there are a wide variety of optional purchases available.

Key Features:

Chain It Up: Combo actions together for massive damage in battle.

Job Hunter: Help out the local populace and explore a deeply woven narrative by completing epic quests.

Role Play: Customize the various aspects of your character down to even the smallest of visual details.

Fast Farming: Play on fast-tracked servers to accelerate experience grinds.

Handiwork: Craft adventuring necessities along the exhaustive journey.

High Flying: Take to the skies with the help of a trusty companion.

Parley: Declare a temporary truce with a few other players and team up to take on challenging content.

Classes
Warriors – Brutalize foes with overwhelming power.
Scouts – Take advantage of high speed and agility stat values to come out on top of any sticky situation.
Mages – Control the four elements for remarkable adaptability and damage.
Priests – Keep the party topped up on HP and safe from hostile threats.
Muses – Manipulate the power of music for a variety of party-supporting effects.
Technists – Breathe life into technological devices for use in combat.

Expansions:

Assault on Balaurea: Enjoy vastly expanded game systems across the board in addition to new areas featuring the Balaur.
The Promised Lands: Band together with other warriors to fight a mighty dragon lord.
Dark Betrayal: Explore two brand new classes as well as a plethora of other supplementary content.
Upheaval: Features more zones and a UI update.
Echoes of Eternity: Uncover the secrets behind the mighty Archdaeva in a pair of new areas.
Refly: Make a trip to the land of Fakrum and reach the new level cap once again.

Path of Exile

Path of Exile is a free-to-play action roleplaying game (ARPG) available on Steam for PC, designed to cater to the classic and hardcore style of the original Diablo. In Path of Exile players can experience a deep character progression system based on gear and massive talent trees. For players looking for even more of a challenge there is even a hardcore mode and leagues to up the ante. Visceral combat and powerful items await you in Path of Exile!

Business Model: Free to Play

Microtransactions: Yes – Cosmetics

Key Features:

Classes: Templar, Marauder, Shadow, Ranger, Witch, Duelist, Scion – This list does not include the 19 Ascendancy classes, which are specialized subclasses. Each class has 3 Ascendancy classes, excepting Scion, which has only Ascendant.

Limitless Skill Tree: Boasting the most complex skill tree of any online game, Path of Exile’s skill tree is broad, encompassing over 1,000 different skill nodes, and allows every character to be incredibly specialized to a player’s gameplay preferences.

Skill Gems: Rather than class-based skills, players customize their skill set by socketing skill gems into their gear. These skill gems have their own experience system, and offer both active and passive skills in addition to support gems.  Once again, any class can choose any skill, allowing for full customization of a character.

Leagues: Path of Exile has regular seasons, during which there are both season-long and short-term leagues. Each has its own ladder ranking and challenges, along with its own rewards. While most Leagues are PvE, there are also now seasonal PvP challenges.

Truly Free to Play: Unlike most F2P games with microtransactions, Path of Exile is purely free to play, with zero pay gates and no way to pay to win. The store only sells cosmetic items and additional bank tabs for individuals and guilds.

Expansions:

Sacrifice of the Vaal: Added late-game boss, Queen Atziri, Vaal side areas, Vaal skill gems, Vaal Orb and corruption, Ambush and Invasion challenge leagues, new PvP modes.

Forsaken Masters: Player housing in the form of a hideout, Master EXP, Master Crafting, new support and skill gems, Rampage and Beyond challenge leagues, Passive Skill Tree balance tweaks.

The Awakening: Added a Fourth Act to the game, with new quests, new areas, scores of new monsters, new items and skill gems, passive skill jewels, and Divination cards.

Ascendancy: Introduced Ascension classes, new items, new maps and new gems as well as Perandus challenge league.

Atlas of Worlds: Improvements to game engine, overhaul of map systems and Atlas of Worlds added, prophecy system added, Essence League introduced.

Fall or Oriath: Removed Cruel and Merciless difficulties, but added 6 new acts. Game divided between Part 1 (Acts 1-5) and Part 2 (Acts 6-10). Added The Pantheon, new items, new skill gems, and the Harbinger League. Many balance changes added.

War for the Atlas: Mainly reworked Atlas of Worlds endgame content. Added The Elder, Elder Guardians, new items and skill gems, abyss jewels and the Abyss challenge league.

Betrayal: New hideouts, new Masters and reworked mastercrafting. New maps. Betrayal challenge League.

RIFT

Mysterious rifts are tearing the world of Telara apart. A powerful magic explosion during the final days of the Shade War has left the veil between Telara and other planar dimensions fractured and torn.

Treacherous and powerful, these rifts occur when another plane of reality intersects with the magical Ward protecting Telara. Rifts create doorways for planar invasion, destroying the lands and people of Telara, but they may also grant otherworldly power to those brave enough to seize it.

Every player experiences a different adventure in the living, breathing world of Telara. Rift: Planes of Telara has all of the traditional quests and deep story arcs you expect from a fantasy MMO role-playing game, but there is unpredictability to life in Telara that guarantees even familiar terrain can offer new dangers and opportunities.

Business Model: Free to Play with premium “patron” subscription.

Microtransactions: Yes – Large amounts of content paywalled behind premium subscriptions, including classes and dungeons. Players may purchase inventory space, mounts, cosmetics, loyalty, and pretty much anything else they could want on the game’s store.

Key Features:

Dozens of Classes: Four basic classes each have nine souls, making a total of 36 base classes to play – each of which can be customized further to suit your playstyle.

In Depth Crafting: Six crafting skills and their companion gathering skills will help gear your characters and earn you extra coin.

Dynamic Rift Events: Across the world, rifts in reality tear open and unleash enemies from the Planes. Go forward and defend the world with other players while earning rewards.

An Epic Endgame: Expansive end game content includes raids designed for different sizes of groups, instant action, dungeons, and more.

Expansions:

RIFT is currently on version 4.5, and continues to be developed after its purchase by Gamigo. For full patch and update history please see the game’s forum here.

Wizard101

Wizard101 is a fantasy-themed multiplayer online role-playing game geared toward providing a safe and engaging world for younger audiences to enjoy. Enroll in the prestigious Ravenwood Academy for magical arts and save Wizard Town from evil!

Business Model: Free to Play

Microtransactions: Yes, additional in-game content can be purchased or otherwise accessed with a monthly subscription.

Key Features:

Classes:

Fire: Slowly but surely take out even the toughest of foes.
Ice: Redirect and soak up attacks with bone-chilling efficiency.
Storm: Though fairly inaccurate, if you can get a hit in it will do massive amounts of damage.
Life: Keep the party healthy with a loadout of healing spells.
Myth: Call upon the help of little companions and let them do the fighting for you.
Death: Damage your enemies and steal their life force for yourself.
Balance: Jack of all trades, respond to any situation.

Magical Attunement: Answer a series of questions and determine your elemental affinity.

Filling Binders: Track down powerful cards and add them to your collection.

Card Conjuration: Take turns drawing from your deck and playing the right spell for the right situation.

Strategically Scaled: Ensure victory by balancing offensive and defensive maneuvers.

Adventure Ahead: Travel to a variety of unique islands.

Pet Adoption: Seek out and raise up a loyal companion.

Big Bad: Prepare yourself for tough bosses by training your level and finding strong gear.

A New Challenger: Explore tactical variety by facing off against other players.

Home Management: Adorn your home with beautiful gardens and decorations.

Keeping it Friendly: The online world can be a bad influence on young children, ensure they don’t run into foul language or bad behavior by altering certain parental controls.

 

Mad World

Mad World is an isometric fantasy role-playing MMO featuring hectic hack’n’slash gameplay accompanied by gorgeous hand-drawn graphics. A millennia has came and went after humanity faced near extinction and the time to rebuild has begun. Join the other champions of humanity and bring about a new age!

Business Model: Free-to-Play

Microtransactions: Currently Unknown

Key Features:

Rampage: Use powerful actions and abilities to mow down waves of foes.

Level Up: Intuitively train up a variety of useful skills.

Adventurer: Discover narratives sprinkled across the environment.

Temporary Alliance: Assemble a team of heroes to tackle large-scale raid bosses for massive rewards.

Versus: Go head-to-head against other similarly skilled players.

 

Star Wars Battlefront 2

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is a graphically-intensive first-person-shooter set in the Star Wars universe paying homage to the original trilogy, prequels, and recent new eras. Go on an emotionally gripping 30-year journey in the single-player campaign or create your own narrative by joining the galactic war as a troop, pilot, or iconic hero.

Business Model: Buy-to-Play

Microtransactions: Yes, there are optional cosmetic items available.

Key Features:

Classes: Discover what role you play best from the power-in-numbers ground troop, talented ship pilot, or as one of the series’ most iconic force users like Rey or Kylo Ren.

Duel of Fates: Make a comeback from a bad match with the smart use of a powerful Jedi or Sith warrior.

Don’t Get Cocky: Provide crucial air support from the skies above.

Reward Track: Discover and apply new customization options found through the expansive progression system.

Tourist Trap: Travel to far off places instantly recognizable for fans of the decades-spanning source material.

Expansions:

The Last Jedi Season: Journey to D’Qar with First Order Captain Phasma and Resistance Hero Finn.
The Han Solo Season: Enjoy additional costumes and other goodies themed around Solo: A Star Wars Story.
The Clone Wars Season: Fan favorites Anakin Skywalker, General Grievous, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Count Dooku make their debut alongside the Geonosis Galactic Assault map.

ArcheAge

ArcheAge is a free-to-play sandbox style MMORPG. Join with allies and build farms, houses, cities, and castles to claim land; fight for fame in land, sea, and air battles; and choose your alliances or work as a lone agent in a vast world.

A paid version is also available, called ArcheAge Unchained.

Business Model: Free to Play

Microtransactions: Yes – Players may buy mounts, in game currency (credits), and Patron subscription which imbues various bonuses, including the ability to own property.

Key Features:

Races: Nuians (Humans), Elves, Dwarves, Firran (Cat people), Harani (Humans), Warborn

Classes: There are 10 Skillsets available, of which any character may have 3 equipped at a given time. These combinations create the classes in the game, of which there are 120. You can see the full list of classes here. The skillsets are: Songcraft, Witchcraft, Auramancy, Defense, Shadowplay, Occultism, Vitalism, Archery, Sorcery and Battlerage.

Expansive PvP: Rule an empire, craft mighty siege engines, and wage war endlessly in these great open lands. Battles may take place on the ground, on the sea in naval combat, or even in the air.

Player-Driven Economics: Gather, craft, trade, transport, and more as you supply mighty war efforts, pirates, and entrepeneurs.

Your Own Brand of Justice: Theft, murder, piracy, and other crimes occur in the world – but the players are also judge and jury.