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Wow, this week has been an interesting one for those of us who keep our
eyes on the realm of free-to-play gaming, and all it took was one
little announcement from Turbine to get the ball rolling. Now, I don’t
want to be the guy who says “I told you so”, but hey, href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/79464" target="_blank">
I told you so here in the very first Microcosms when I
suggested that Lord of the Rings Online would  be the next
(and not the last) major title to drop a pure subscription model in
favor of a more dynamic free-to-play model with modified subscriptions
and microtransactions to fund the game.



Turbine also announced recently that the next major update to Dungeons
and Dragons: Eberron Unlimited will add a new feature in the form of
Airships that function as guild halls. When I told a friend of mine
about this, with a hint of excitement in my voice, his droll reply of
“Dude, it’s just a guild hall” instantly brought to mind one of my
favorite lines from the film Grandma’s Boy, but my quick retort of,
“Yeah, but it’s a freakin’ sweet Guild Hall!” was mostly lost on him. I
suspect he was suffering from summertime blues because his WoW guild
had recently disbanded due to a profound lack of interest.



The lack of interest players are feeling in World of Warcraft isn’t
unique to the Blizzard behemoth. Indeed, the summer slump has been a
seasonal trend that we could set our clocks by each year for almost as
long as there have been MMOGs to play. Knowing that so many players are
still lazing around, twiddling their thumbs waiting for their friends
to come back from summer escapades, I thought it would be a perfect
time to recap some of the many free-to-play games we have reviewed over
the past few weeks. What better time to explore a brave new world than
when the one you frequent is a virtual ghost town?

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With Memorial Day fading quickly into our sun baked rear view
mirrors, the official start of the summer season is upon us. While most
Americans spend the other 9 months of the year dreaming of fun in the
sun, a great number of MMOG players approach this time of year with a
quiet sense of dread. You see, summertime is when a large portion of a
server’s population mysteriously vanishes in a puff of smoke that
smells of BBQ and suntan lotion, leaving the rest of us with little to
do, since so many of our activities are dependant upon having other
players to do them with.



If you fall into the category of terminally bored gamer looking for
something to get you through the next few months of solitude, check out
this recap of some of a couple of our favorite games and keep checking
back each week as we review and preview many more.

Allods Online

Allods is a
faction-based game that focuses on the struggle of the Alliance, (home
of the Kanians, Elves and Gibberlings) versus that of the League
(comprised of the Risen, Xadaganians and Orcs). One of the more
refreshing mechanics used in Allods is that of classes being faction
locked; while both factions have the same archetypes, the classes’
slight differences give the game some flavor and give your faction
choice some weight. Servers were initially skewed to the League, in
terms of population balance, but recent data suggests that the ratio is
closer to 1:1 now due to some player loss after recent patches. Server
populations are still strong however, as most of the players who have
departed were level capped. The starting and intermediate areas are
still very active and the game is still in excellent shape for the new
player.



Allods Online scores a
solid four hammers, with very minor issues keeping it from pulling down
a perfect five hammer review. With all the features and style you would
expect to see in a AAA title, Allods Online definitely raises the bar
on free-to-play expectations.
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Atlantica Online

One of the most
distinguishing features of Atlantica Online is its turn-based combat
system that transports players from the game world into an almost
instanced-like environment where the battle plays out until completion.
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Players in Atlantica
Online are never alone, even when soloing. The game uses a mercenary
system that allows you to control three NPCs in addition to your
character. These hired guns will greatly enhance combat as well as
provide a much need increase to inventory space at low levels. Grouping
with other players allows you to tackle even greater challenges, from
instanced dungeons to larger groups of world mobs. Party size is
limited to 3 players and their NPCs, while raid content is open to
larger groups and comes in the form of Guild dungeons and Nation
dungeons. All of the instances are timed encounters with kill-based
objectives. There isn't a lot of encounter variation here or unique
boss scripts, but the killing isn't mindless and skill is required to
advance and succeed.



Atlantica Online has
garnered many awards since its launch and they are indeed well
deserved, as it succeeds in being a terrific free-to-play MMOG. With
fun and engaging combat that rewards strategy, a robust game world with
all the standard activities that MMO gamers desire and a solid look and
feel with a great fit and finish, Atlantica Online receives 4.5 out of
5 Hammers.



While there are many, many free-to-plays out there – these two are
among my favorites and both offer thriving communities for those of us
immune to the warm weather sojourns. Be sure to check back here
regularly for even more reviews and a look at the PvP update for one of
my favorite games – Pocket Legends. Until next week stay safe and, as
always, keep it free.







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