By Danny "Ralsu" Gourley

Week in Review
Okay, this week I finally dragged myself away from Atlantica Online long enough to check out a new game: Florensia. You know what? I'm glad I did. Florensia was a fun experience. My goal is to bring readers my first impressions of the game next week, but I'll repeat the basics here.

Florenisa places gamers in the age of seafaring adventure. It blends the traditional fantasy themes (complete with casting spells) with the ship sailing action of recent titles, such as Pirates of the Burning Sea (PotBS). I thought PotBS was pretty fun, and I think Florensia is at least as fun after a few hours of play. Rather than going for the realism of PotBS, Florensia has cartoon graphics. Enemies in the early going are mushrooms and the like, giving the feel of a game for young teens. Still, the gameplay is as complex as many subscription games, and it's worth a try. Look for more details next week.

Meanwhile, the trend of free-to-play (F2P) games gaining ground in the Western markets has extended to Ten Ton Hammer, too. If you haven't heard about it already, check out Ten Ton Hammer's The Pulse. Basically, The Pulse tells us which games are the hottest according to Ten Ton Hammer readers each day. Well, F2P gamers, our day has arrived. In the past week, as many as four F2P games have appeared in The Pulse, sending a clear message that F2P is here to stay. Games from this Top Ten list (including Atlantia Online, Dungeon Runners, Mabinogi, and Runes of Magic) have ranked higher than subscription-based games like EverQuest 2, Vanguard, EVE Online, and Tabula Rasa.

Despite all signs pointing to a shift in the revenue model in the West, some people still resist. What's your advice to the gamer who clings to his subscription while rocking back and forth in his computer chair? Will F2P become the big thing in the West? Tell me in the forums.

The List
My one change this week is to bring Florensia into the Top Ten. It's worth a look for most gamers. As I play it more, I'll decide if it can keep its place, move up, or drop out of the Top Ten.

My next target is Cronous. While I am testing out games so that you don't have to, be sure to check out at least the games ranked 1-5. Something from that group has to be right for you.

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

Disclaimer: The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Ten Ton Hammer network or staff.

Top Ten Free-to-Play Games October 9, 2008
Rank	Previous		Game
1	1		Atlantica Online - (http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/) NDOORS Atlantica Portal Atlantica just opened a fourth server this week due to high traffic on the original two and the third recently opened. If that wasn't enough indication of the team's dedication to service, they added a patch to make Auto-Move work without a license. Now players can use the feature to automatically run to quest givers all over the world.
2	2		Wizard101 - (www.wizard101.com) KingsIsle Entertainment, Inc. Magic101 Portal Wizard101 should appeal to anyone who likes Yu-Gi-Oh! and Harry Potter.
3	3		Mabinogi - (http://mabinogi.nexon.net) NEXON Mabonogi Portal Mabinogi is simple enough for your ten year old to get into yet deep enough for you to enjoy, too.
4	4		Dungeon Runners - (http://www.dungeonrunners.com) NCSoft Dungeon Runners Portal Dungeon Runners sometimes makes me think of World of Warcraft on drugs. I can't really sell it any better than that.
5	5		Dream of Mirror Online - (http://domo.aeriagames.com) Aeria Games & Entertainment DOMO Portal Dream of Mirror Online has one major strike against it for me: soloing is mind-numbingly slow after level 15 or so. Get a good group, though, and the game rocks. The dual-class system really allows players to show their skill.
6	6		Rohan: Blood Feud - (www.playrohan.com) YNK Interactive Rohan Portal Rohan would be a major media hit if the game charged a subscription. It's got all of the features of recent releases like Age of Conan. It just likes a customer base.
7	7		Magic World Online - (http://mwo.enjoymmo.com) Goldcool Games Magic World Online Portal Magic World Online removes the grind through the use of legal botting. I admit that I don't get it. Why can't we just start at the level cap and PvP then?
8	8		Runes of Magic - (www.runesofmagic.com) Frogster Runes of Magic Portal Runes of Magic has a few videos out on YouTube, and the comments all seem to compare it to World of Warcraft. Who knows if that is a good thing or a bad thing for the game.
9	9		Pefect World International - (www.perfectworld.com) Beijing Perfect World Perfect World International Portal Perfect World International is still rough around the edges, but the fresh translation makes it easy to enjoy the racial tensions in the world.
10	N/A		Florensia - (http://en.florensia-online.com/) Burda:ic GmbH Florensia Portal Florensia lets players sail the high seas and adventure on land. Then there's the harvesting and crafting. It feels like several games in one.

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.