DDO Unlimited play free, started today! (MMO)

I was thinking about trying out Dungeons and Dragons Unlimited when it went free. As today got closer I realized I was more interested than I thought I would be. I remember trying it years ago with the free trial (when it first was released as subscription). It is now free with the option of subscription (ViP), and a cash shop.

Honestly a game doesn't have to be a blockbuster or even subscription to be enjoyable. And so far I've had a lot of fun. The graphics are lovely, they always have been. Several races to pick, very nice models. I forgot how nice of a look this game had. The music is good too.

You can solo dungeons, duo, or even get a party. I love the soloing, also I want to try to see how it is to party with others once I learn more. Still getting my bearings! They even had someone answering questions in general which was really cool. I finally figured how to turn the camera to face my character lol (the 4 key on the num pad). It's not as smooth with things like that, but you can jump, strafe.. ect. The game has a polished feel for the most part.

Quests were fun and quick. You can even do them a few times to get different rewards, at this point anyhow. I started out with a cleric, there's several classes to pick from or even build your own type. For the more advanced players.. I may try that later on. Combat so far is pretty easy, light and fun. It could change later on, doubt it.

So far the community seems good, tons of people playing as it is shiny and new again being free. So looks like I have something new to keep me busy in my free time, I want to give this one a shot, if it's good enough I'd even pay for the subscription. It is free and definitely worth a look!

Just a peek at DDO, as I have yet to venture in very far past a few dungeons! So that's what I am up to tonight ;)
-kaozz

My 2cp: Left in the dust or still hanging in there? Older MMORPGs

The lone MMORPG rides off into the sunset to return free?
In the past there have been a few games that had a ton of hype but when it was time to step up to the plate, kind of fell off somewhere along the lines. Does this mean they were truly bad games? I suppose it is better to go free than under. They still have the chance to pull in players with the free experience maybe hooking some into the cash shop. Is it truly all that bad? I don't think so. I like seeing those games out there still, striving against the competition.

A few come to mind DDO (Dungeons and Dragons Online), Arch Lord, Rose. Honestly all of these really were decent games. What happened to them? I guess there comes a point where it's just not viable to keep a declining game open to subscriptions. I am actually wanting to try DDO being free. The last time I played was years ago. It can draw in curious players who might never have peeked in.

Some like Tabula Rasa just fall under. Sadly I never got to try this one. But I suppose companies like Play NC have their fingers in too many pies with all the games they have currently to bother more with it.

What about those bull headed older mmorpg's that just won't quit?

Speaking of Play NC.. They have had some decent games but they always seem to fall off into the background. Lineage2.. do people even play that still? I jest ;) Surely they do, gorgeous graphics but meh game play imo. They didn't keep me there. If it was free I might possibly try it again.. mebe =/

I think they went in the right direction with picking up Dungeon Runners. But is Guild Wars 2 going to kill off Guild Wars? Or will it end up playing out like EQ2.. a shadow of what the original once was.

Play NC claims to offer their newest game to being second to only WoW. Notice they don't claim to surpass it. Why not? Honestly I don't think they have hit the nail on the head with this one either. I hope it turns out to be a great game, I will try it once it is out for awhile.

The game that won't quit.. EVER.
Everquest.
It's been out a decade! Happy birthday big daddy EQ! It is still going strong with more servers than many new games like AoC and WAR. About twice as many servers. I think this game just holds too much nostalgia. It has too much history in the world of MMORPGs to go under.

It's still popping out expansions once a year. Although I do not play as much as I use to I still on occasion log back in. (I am currently miffed about a billing issue too.. which is not helping their number one fan want to play :()

So what did SoE do to still keep up at this point? Every game is now compared to WoW. But WoW was so often compared to EQ. Simply put it was there before the rest. It kick started the games we play now. KA-POW. Don't forget who your daddy is!

On a serious note it is more of an Evergrind these days when compared to newer games, but it has a very nice community, several nice aspects, tons of classes. The game is not as much as a grind as it once was with many many quests added in. It's more open to casual play than it ever was. S.O.E. has done a lot to keep it up to pace the best they can with the coding being as old as it is. And they have done a damn fine job.

S.O.E has introduced the cash shop in many of it's games. They offer a station pass also to pay a flat rate and play ALL the games they offer. This helps keeping some of the other ones interesting too I think. Hop around when you get bored for a flat rate. And also the online TCG, LoN.

I don't know if they went in the direction that was wanted with the community for SWG and I don't know how it will fare when SWTOR is released. You will have the faithful player base to an extent but how much of one?

S.O.E and the free direction.. While Free Realms is a nice game. I don't like seeing them put so much into that as their new "pet project". I want to see
more
adverts for the one who made them all the phat RL lewt .. err money.

Ok enough blabbing about the oldest one...

What about others like DAoC? I actually tried this one hrmm back in '07 since back in the day while it was more mainstream I was too busy playing EQ and not at all interested in a pvp game.. /gasp at that concept!

This game got a revamp on the graphics at one point and actually looked decent. The UI needs a face lift or it did at that point. While being much like EQ it also had an excellent community. One of the best of any mmorpg I have played. Coming in 2nd after EQ.

They at some point stopped putting out expansions.. I found a lonely box with them all in Best Buy and have yet to see anymore since then. Although they still do update it. It was a game worth playing just to experience it. The mounts.. they were fantastic! The classes were very interesting also.

I think Mythic stagnated it's own game putting so much into WAR honestly.

/salute
I salute these older games still hanging in there, the developers that keep chugging along. Thank you for allowing us to revisit places of nostalgia whenever we want to take a trip back.

It's not always going to get a company a smash hit really trying to compete with the leading game out there. At this point it's just sit back and watch the show as they all try to be bigger and better.

World of Warcraft.. is currently at the place where EQ hit it's decline. Around the five year mark. I don't see that happening any time soon for them though. It like EQ will never fade away as it has made it's mark so prominent in the mmorpg industry.

And props to Blizzard for sitting up top for so long, lets hope they can keep going strong another five years!

And that's my 2cp for today.. This old timer will see you next time ;)
-kaozz

Fun and Free MMOs!

Hello again! Last time I spoke about free vs subscription. Whats out there that can compete with subscription based games? I could spend all day listing them hehe so just some of my faves. If you are looking for a good free MMO you have come to the right place for some ideas!

So what are my favorite free mmorpgs?

This is just a run down on some of the free mmorpgs I thought were some of the best out there when it comes to free. They are in no real order, each will just have a rating on different aspects of the game which are medium high and low.  The overall game rating scale is 1-10. I'll throw out a few pros and cons about the games also to give an idea what it is more or so like.

All of these games can be found in the Free Mmorpg links.

Lets get started!

Perfect World

Pros- This game I really had a lot of fun with and stuck to for awhile. The graphics are really top quality, really beautiful characters and scenery. The classes were fun to play and had neat abilities. Mounts were very neat, flying mounts at that. One race could even fly with wings which was a very cool ability! This game offers a cash shop also. I never purchased anything but there were a lot of cool things in there.

Cons- This game had quests but it seemed at some point you were grinding or just doing the same few quests over and over to get through many levels. It got quite boring at times.

Auction/seller option in this game required you to be logged in with a "trader" set up. So if you wanted to buy something you either ran from trader to trader in the different cities or spam WTB *item*.

PvP on all servers at level 30. This annoys me, when I am trying to level I don't like being interrupted. Enough said.

Game Rating: 5

Play Ability- Low] due to the grind factor

Interface- High] Easy to use

Graphics- High] Fantastic quality

Sound- High- High ]Very easy going nice music

Performance/Lag- High]  Had no issues

Fun factor long term- Low] After all the glitter and glam of the game, there wasn't much depth.

Community- Low] It was just sort of Bleh. Not the worst one out there though.

Free Realms

Pros- A very laid back game. No pressure on leveling. There are many many classes to level from Warrior to Blacksmith. I really had a lot of fun trying them all out. The game is very lovely, with a toon like look. No need for mounts as travel to any city is a click away on the map. Each class has different gear/outfits. It offers subscription and cash shop options and subscription option. You can run an instance alone or with a group which is nice also.

Cons- No real high end. It's just a game to log into and have some fun, nothing more nothing less (which really isn't a con I suppose). It is suppose to be aimed at tweens but some of the content is kind of hard like the tower games. I spent hrmm lets now say how long lol.. just too long at the penguin tower game just to finish it on all three modes. The combat classes level much slower than the others like cooking, pet training.. ect. It is a grind doing instances over and over either solo or with a group. And filters.. meh you can't even say most numbers such as 1234567890. Yeah that gets annoying. You can't even spell them. One will have to be typed won.. Also no trader option :(

Game Rating: 7

Play Ability- High] It is really a great game to log in when you just want to have fun and mess around.

Interface- High] Very easy to use

Graphics- High] Fantastic quality

Sound- Medium] Nice music but at times it is like something froma  playschool commercial.

Performance/Lag- Low] I had zero problems with this game personally. BUT a huge complaint I saw from the community was lag and problems soing timed quests. I think this stems from it being a "browser based" game. The simple "ol' family computer" might have problems running it sadly.

Fun factor long term- Medium] It all depends on what you find fun. For me I find it fun here and there. Honestly though I don't play it anymore.

Community- Medium] There are some really nice guilds out there, the forums seem decent. But you do have a lot of kids running around throwing up random invites to groups and guilds heh.

Requiem:Bloodymare

I highly recommend this one if you want to try something different!


Pros- This is a horror type mature rated game. It really has a unique feel to it. I liked the looks and feel. When you get low on health you get bloody and gory.. all splattered with blood! Lots of spashes of blood and carnage upon killing mobs. Several different races to choose from with very cool looking characters. This too offers a cash shop.

Cons- The biggest con I suppose would be it kind of gets to be a grind at some point too, repeating quests over and over to get levels sometimes. While being a horror game is wasn't too scary really. More gory. It was still nice though.

Game Rating: 8

Play Ability- Medium]  Due to the grind factor

Interface- Medium] Easy to use

Graphics- High:  Fantastic quality

Sound- High: Medium] Nice

Performance/Lag- High] Ran smoothly

Fun factor long term- Medium] Higher up when the characters get more detailed it becomes more fun.

Community- Medium] It seemed the normal mmorpg community

Runes of Magic

One of the best out there if you are looking for a good free one.

Pros- This game has mounts which is nice. Cash shop. The characters are really fun to play. A large variety of hairstyles and faces to pick from. Nice looking characters and gear. The world was very nice to look at also. Tons of quests! They offer expansions, content patches for high end also. This month they are releasing the new expansion with new areas and a new race/class! I still have yet to get into it, I am waiting on the expansion though; I want to be an elf. This game offers an auction house and player housing!

Cons- The biggest is the cash shop. To get a permanent mount you have to buy it from the cash shop or you can just use the 3hr or 15min mounts. Vanity pets.. I was like yay.. till I found out you buy them and they have a duration on them :( Other than that I really found it a well rounded game for being free and you don't have to use the cash shop unless you really want to.

Game Rating: 9

Play Ability- High]  Tons of quests and content to keep you busy

Interface- High] Easy to use

Graphics- High:  Nice graphics, this game is often compared to WoW

Sound- High: Medium] Nice sounds

Performance/Lag- High] Ran smoothly

Fun factor long term- High] Higher up when the characters get more detailed it becomes more fun.

Community- Medium] It seemed the normal mmorpg community

Dungeon Runners

Pros- Fun fast paced mmorpg to log into. You get tons of gear. This is Diablo meets WoW. Nice toony graphics. The game has a comical aspect, from the quests to the gear. It is a lighthearted fun game. A real good hack and slash dungeon crawler. A very fun game to play!

Cons- Burn out factor is high after awhile of running dungeon after dungeon or even multiple levels and doing them over if you forgot something in there. No healer classes, just chugging potion after endless potion. No auto attack, after holding attack button down through a dungeon.. it can make your hand cramp heh. Also no trader/auction option in this game.

Game Rating: 9

Play Ability- High]  It really is a lot of fun to go slaughter foes in this game

Interface- High] Easy to use

Graphics- High:  Nice graphics, this game is often compared to WoW as well b/c of the toon look

Sound- High: Medium] Nice sounds

Performance/Lag- High] Ran very well

Fun factor long term- Low]How many dungeons can you run with tons of mobs rushing at you before you get bored...

Community- High] It seemed the normal mmorpg community. On a side note the Developers are very in tune with the community and often seen in game chat. Just because they are so hands on I give this community a high rating.

Ether Saga

Pros- This game is just so cute! I really liked the cute look it has. the characters were very fun to play and look at. You also get pets that help you in combat.. this is a sweet feature. At level 10 there is a quest to get a cloud to fly on! Many quests to work on. Trader option to set up a trader with this game also.

Cons- The flying mounts were limited in the aspect that they ran off of the characters (think it was) mana. Once it ran out you were dismounted :( It just kind of got boring after awhile, the game just doesn't seem to have much direction at the lower levels.

Game Rating: 7

Play Ability- High]  Tons of quests and content to keep you busy

Interface- High] Easy to use

Graphics- High] Great looking game

Sound- High- Medium] Sounded good

Performance/Lag- High] Ran smoothly

Fun factor long term- Low] Just seems to get boring at a point

Community- Medium] It seemed the normal mmorpg community

So those are probably the ones I've had the most fun with. Mythos would be up there too had it not went under.

Some others I can reccomend that I have yet to play but haveheard raves about would be :

Atlantica Online-  This one has gotten some great reviews. It's on my to do list ;)

Wizzard 101- I briefly tried it but need to check it out further. Very popular game too.

So there ya have it, my current top picks for the FTP MMORPGs!

-kaozz

Whats your poison? To pay or not to pay, for a MMO?

To pay or not to pay?

Today I was thinking about the many MMORPGs I have played. With so many available today with free to play and subscription based there really are tons of games out there. But in the end do  you really end up paying? I've asked myself that and weighed the monthly subscriptions vs free games. What really keeps players interested in the long haul?

So far this year I have re-subbed to Everquest, Everquest2. Tried AoC and War Hammer. Several free games such as Free Realms, Ether Saga and Runes of Magic just to name a few.

I love trying out new games, a whole new world to explore, new classes and races to play. But if there is nothing at the top it can really feel like "whats the point?" Grinding out level upon level you expect there to be a goal at the end, things to work to right?

Free vs Subscription.

I often find myself trying out the latest neat looking free to play mmorpg. At times I get roped into wanting to purchase a cool mount or item in the cash shop. Honestly when I sit and think about it for all those cool things I could buy.. I could just play a subscription game and get those type of things in the long run.

Ether Saga hooked me in on the cash shop as well as Free Realms. Ether Saga's cash shop seemed to me very expensive and the amount of in game money you got for cash was misleading. Making most good items about 10$ real cash. I was not up for that.. come on I was just wanting to get a new outfit! It didn't even have stats. So I just was soured upon that.

Free Realms had many cool things but some of them you could only use if you had a subscription too! Meh.. that sort of put me off. But it wasn't that bad I suppose. You can still play a lot of the content in this game w/o a subscription but many of the classes are locked out to the player. So really Free Realms felt not so free in the end.

Coolness Factor. Ok so maybe I don't want to play a MMORPG just b/c it is free, but because it looks so much fun! Ok so you don't have to buy any of those cash items. I have tried ftp (free to play) games and not bought a single thing. But when the coolness wears off it seems there are things that I find I don't like. Such as Perfect World- PvP is forced upon you at 30. You are going to get ganked, no doubt about it. Even if you do not wish to PvP ever. There were no PvE servers. Or in a few it seems at high end there was just not much there in the end :(

Free with option to pay. Two examples of this would be Dungeon Runners and Free Realms. Dungeon Runners was like WoW meets Diablo. It was really tons of fun when I started. I just got tired of running the same dungeons over and over. They had the option to pay and use subscription gear and a few other perks. It wasn't game breaking so either way it was still fun.

Free Realms is pretty much the same. Fun but you could add some bling with the cash shop or just enhance yourself a bit with cash shop weapons/gear. Pets.. oh they were so cute you wanted to buy one. Several required a subscription even after purchase.. like the ghost dog or cat. But did you really need to subscribe? Well if you wanted to play most of the classes available, yes.  Some mini games also required a subscription.

Subscription with cash shop.

S.O.E. (Sony Online Entertainment), has inter-graded this into a lot of their games. Many people were angry when Everquest and Everquest2 added the cash shop and the Legends of Norrath online TCG.

LoN have loot cards that range from in-game titles,  illusions, potions, pets.. ect ect. People felt this took away from the game. Who wouldn't want a vanity pet that adds stats or in-game effects? But not everyone wanted to pay money for one on top of a subscription.

Next comes the cash shop. Both EQ, FR, and EQ2 offer cash shops on top of subscription. While I honestly loved some of the items.. I didn't always want to pay extra on top of that subscription for an item. But it was the only way to get the item.. kind of sucks you in. My husband prefers I stay away from these types of games :p

Monthly Subscription. No Strings attached.

This in my idea would be games more like WoW, AoC, and War Hammer. You play it, you work on the character, you have the option  get everything offered to everyone as long as you take the time to work at it. This honestly is how I like it. WoW has the TCG loot but nothing there really is something I lose sleep over really b/c there are so many cool things already available to players.

But at the same time, these can get boring waiting on new content at the same time because they can be so streamlined.

Playability in the long run and high end.

If you are like me, you want something to make the game fun in the long run. May it be raids, dungeons, pvp (with goals/rewards) or just more phat lewt!

Do many of these games offer much high end? Honestly I can't say for sure what most of the free ones offer b/c after the candy coating starts to wear off.. I get bored and move onto something else.

The games you actually pay a subscription, well they want you to keep paying those subscriptions and they cater to the long term player. They do have the steady income to keep working on more more more.

In the end it's all about fun.

I am not bashing or playing favorites to any of these games. Honestly I am glad there are so many out there in the free genre. I was really sad when Mythos went under (look em up on twitter, seems they might ressurect the game!), it was such a neat game.

I get bored more easily these days it seems so it is fun to try out different things. Those are just some thoughts on free vs subscription.

I think it is great that the options are out there now for both. I remember when I started Everquest I had looked for a free game beforehand and I was sad to find there were none out there that didn't look like a Zelda rip off lol. That was nine years ago and now there are sooo many it's really nice to see them out there.

Really anything that you find fun is worth it if you are enjoying it. So what do you find fun?

I'm still trying to figure it out today ;)

This week I'll be putting a top free to play mmorpg list up, I will be doing some reviews on several this month but first I'll give a basic review on the top ones I think are worth it. Next month will have more subscription based reviews.

Till Next time!

-kaozz