Top Ten Free-to-Play Games Week 7

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Posted June 2nd, 2008 by Ralsu

By Danny "Ralsu" Gourley

About This List
Please refer to the Top Ten Free-to-Play Games Portal to find out how to get a game you make or like on this list.

Week in Review
This week, I played more Fiesta Online and NeoSteam. The grind in Fiesta finally set in, and the game's new #9 ranking reflects how I feel about that. Meanwhile, NeoSteam offers a sense of openness I have not really experienced since EverQuest, but I think it works against the game. Players actually need to go around and talk to NPCs to find quests, but most beta testers will msitake this for an incomplete game design instead of an intentional one. Plus, crafting, purchasing skills, and many other things are not explained very well in-game. This will turn off gamers who crave a thorough tutorial.

My new game for the week is Requiem: Bloodymare. This game from Gravity Interactive combines the post-apocalyptic setting of Resident Evil with the questing and lore of EverQuest. Then it sprinkles a dash of Aeon Flux (the cartoon, not the movie) for character models.

I really enjoy Requiem, but I won't be writing a whole lot about it. Ten Ton Hammer's Cody "Micajah" Bye has covered the game enough to give you a fair idea. Just check out our Requiem portal. I should make three notes about the game, though.

Requiem, which is in Open Beta right now, suffers from some pathing issues during combat that can cause the player to need to chase enemies back and forth to land hits with autoattack. The monsters, of course, can hit you the whole time even if you keep getting the "too far away" message. On the bright side, towns feel truly alive. The NPCs move around and engage each other in conversations (limited, so you'll see them repeat after a while). All the while, the towns perfectly capture the feel of a civilization pushed to the brink of existence. Finally, the game is rated M because of liberal use of blood. In fact, I turned down the setting to minimal so that every combat did not look like a Mortal Kombat fatality. I'm no prude. I just think blood flying all over the screen in unrealistic amounts looks puerile.

With Requiem debuting on the list, Shaiya fall out of the Top Ten.

Finally, I downloaded and installed Holic, a relatively new title from NetGame. Sadly, the portal to create new accounts was down and I could not register to try the game. Of course, it may have saved me from a bad experience for all I know. Please see our forums for details.

The List
Coming up, I will be finishing my coverage of NeoSteam. The top 6 games on my list now are fun enough that I keep coming back to them. I'll look at Rakion as a suggestion from the forums. I'll continue my search for a legit download of Perfect World, and I might even give Holic a try against my better judgment.

Here are my Top Ten Free-to-Play Games for this week!

Top Ten Free-to-Play Games June 5, 2008
Rank	Previous	Game
1	1	Mythos - (www.mythos.com) Flagship Studios, Inc. Mythos Portal The overworld in Mythos is just about ready for beta consumption. The sneak peeks I have taken show it to be no less than full of awesome and win.
2	2	Mabinogi - (http://mabinogi.nexon.net) NEXON Mabonogi Portal Even when the grind sets in with Mabinogi, the paper-rock-scissors combat gives it enough flair to be fun. Or I can always perform jobs for the villagers and collect harvestables.
3	3	Wakfu - (www.wakfu.com) Ankama Wakfu Portal Wakfu is almost ready for the American beta, and I am getting very excited.
4	4	Dream of Mirror Online - (http://domo.aeriagames.com) Aeria Games & Entertainment DOMO Portal Dream of Mirror Online continues to provide me with storied quests and fun character development.
5	N/A	Requiem: Bloodymare - (www.playrequiem.com) Gravity Interactive Requiem Portal Requiem is EverQuest meets Resident Evil. If the kinks are ironed out during beta, this game could be a major cult classic.
6	8	Dungeon Runners - (http://www.dungeonrunners.com) NCSoft Dungeon Runners Portal Dungeon Runners still keeps me coming back for episodic solo play. It is massively multiplayer in that you can run around towns with dozens of other players, but I wonder how many people solo all the time.
7	7	NeoSteam - (www.neosteam.com) Hanbitsoft NeoSteam Portal I wish NeoSteam had a better translation and were more user-friendly. The game is fun, but most gamers will not forgive the poor translation and lack of hand-holding.
8	6	Magic World Online - (http://mwo.enjoymmo.com) Goldcool Games Magic World Online Portal I installed Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal on my computer for the first time in over 5 years last weekend. Guess what? The graphics in that game, which released at the beginning of the decade, are just as good as those in Magic World Online. Both games rely heavily on story.
9	5	Fiesta - (http://fiesta.outspark.com) Outspark Fiesta Portal Fiesta is a great beginner's game because it is free and teaches players the basics of massively-multiplayer online games. After level 12, it starts to get really boring due to the grind.
10	9	Warrior Epic - (http://warriorepic.com) Possibility Space Warrior Epic Portal Warrior Epic has a lot of promise. When the NDA is lifted, expect Ten Ton Hammer to bring you the scoop on this title.