Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

The last ten years have been witness to some amazing growth in the gaming segment, mostly fueled by MMOGs. We have also experienced wild growths in technology and a huge explosion in the amount of households with broadband internet connections. These two advances have coupled to allow developers a new way of delivering games to without the use of a traditional client – via web browser. Browser-based MMOGs are a rapidly expanding force in the gaming world and this week we spotlight them with a Top Ten Browser-Based MMOGs list. Featuring everything from divide-and-conquer strategy to traditional sword and board fantasy, with lots of new concepts in between, we recap some of our favorites from the genre.

10) Travian

While Travian doesn’t fit the traditional description of an MMOG, it is massive and it can be very addicting. Travian is based on empire building and alliances, pitting players against each other and the world in a race for power and resources. Set in ancient times, players take the role of a village chief of one of three playable factions – Romans, Teutons or Gauls. Each faction, or tribe as they are called by Travian, has their own advantages and disadvantages as well as specific troop types.  Everything in Travian is time-based, which gives the game a turn feel and helps pacing, yet rewards players who can spend more time in front of the keyboard.

9) Faunasphere

Faunasphere, from Big Fish Games, is one of the more unique entries in the list this year.  The game puts you in the role of a caretaker of sorts--a tender of small creatures, a fighter of pollution, a builder of spheres and a breeder of your own community of Fauna. The game is ultra casual and focuses on the social aspect of gaming, a trait made evident by the fact that the community here is simply one of the best I’ve ever seen. Faunasphere is one of those rare games that is greater than the sum of its parts, none of which are extraordinary on their own. The game world is constructed of 3D blocks with 2D avatars running around on them, but the overall effect is one that belies the game’s simplicity and makes it as fun as any other on this list. This game launched at about the same time as Champions Online and Aion; the only difference is that I still enjoy playing this one.

8) AdventureQuest Worlds

An offshoot of the popular single-player game, AdventureQuest, AdventureQuest Worlds is a flash-based MMOG from Artix Entertainment. Both games are browser-based and both take place in the world of Lore (a hidden acronym for the games original title Lands Of Rising Evil) with AQO taking place a few years in the future from the AQ timeline. The beauty of this game comes from its simplicity and the flash programming which allows for quick load times and low processor demand, meaning it should run on virtually any web capable machine.  One of the most popular aspects of the game is its widespread use of in-game events. These events typically revolve around holidays and last for about a week. One notable exception is the Friday the 13th event, which happens anytime a Friday trips over a 13 on our calendar.

7) Neverland Online

This Chinese import is one of the newer games on the list and is quickly gaining a North American and European audience. The 2D game is flash-based and incorporates lots of Chinese lore and fables in its storytelling. Combat is turn-based and easy to master in any of the games four classes – Warrior, Assassin, Mage or Priest. The graphics and sound are very stylized and while your avatar looks fairly childlike you need not worry about the gloved one returning from the dead to haunt you here; it’s not that Neverland. The game is able to retain a fairly intimate feel by its design and while the turn-based combat and small world may not appeal to a lot of traditional MMOG players, lore junkies will appreciate the fairly rich world they can explore.

6) Lords Online

Lords Online is an interesting mix of MMOG, resourse sim and conquest game, with a main menu and overall look oddly reminiscent of an old Sierra game I adored called Lords of the Realm II. Players take the role of lord of their city by way of a hero character who can be one of three races – Human, Alec(Elf) or Shaba(Orcs) and can ally or battle their neighbors for control of the land. The game has a robust quest system, an item mall and a chat window which are all easily accessible from the main menu. Players are vulnerable to attack after their third day in the game so it pays to get off to a fast start and make friends early.  

5) Heroes of Gaia

Another build-sim/MMOG hybrid , Heroes of Gaia is slightly more complex than Lords Online. Players chose from one of four races and start with a castle to control and grow to a mighty empire.  Quests are named tasks here but serve the same function, especially at lower levels where they teach you the common functions and underpinnings of the game. The place where my pick for #5 really distances itself from its lower ranking counterpart is in the fit and finish--Heroes of Gaia is a much more polished product with crisper graphics and an overall cleaner look. All the features one would expect are present here, with alliances, guilds, chat and an item mall. One other advantage to Gaia is that of time; the game is older and recently launched its first expansion which added some instanced combat as well as PvP upgrades to the mix.

4) Dragon’s Call

Dragon’s Call is one of the most PvP-focused games on the list and while one of the graphically weakest it has a unique combination of features that can leave you wondering where the last couple hours vanished to – a hallmark of a great game in my opinion. Dragon’s Call is a mash up of many popular gaming elements – a WoW-like item system, a Final Fantasy style turn based combat system, and an EVE Online-esque offline skill up system all wrapped into a package that is reminiscent of old school BBS games like Legend of the Red Dragon.  The real beauty of Dragon’s Call is how accessible it is from any machine, I suspect this would run just as well on an internet capable 486 as it does on my screaming fast gaming rig. (I may actually be speaking from experience here as I may have accessed this on some dinosaurs at my other job, but I can neither confirm nor deny that as I don’t wish to incriminate myself.) I recently did a full review of the game and you can check that out here for a more in depth look, or simply try it out for yourself. But make sure to set an alarm clock – you’ll need it!

3) Fusion Fall

FusionFall is the first MMOG set in the Cartoon Network universe. Featuring characters and cameos from nearly all of the networks most popular franchises, this 3D browser game is similar to Earth Eternal and FreeRealms in its use of a popup window style client that allows a higher data stream to handle the more advanced graphics the game has to offer. Perfect for kids of all ages, FusionFall allots two character slots per account for the non-paying population and folks who wish to spend a few dollars a month can double that number as well as add a few more perks if they should desire. Blending equal parts fun, combat and socialization FusionFall is an excellent gateway for younger players to discover MMOGs and may just be a guilty pleasure of the parents of the next generation of hardcore raiders.

2) Earth Eternal

Earth Eternal is one of the better looking games on the list and features a colorful 3D environment that begs to be explored. Famous for its inhabitants, EE has been called “The Furry MMO” in some reviews for its unique take on races – the majority of which are anthropomorphic, or animal-based.  The game features four classes with no advantage or disadvantages for race/class combos--races are purely aesthetic here.  The game does take slightly more setup than the majority of the games on the list as it uses a proprietary background program to handle the graphics and processes of the game, however the extra effort is worth it as it allows for a more dynamic experience than flash-based games can deliver. Combat, movement and questing are all standard fare and anyone familiar with any popular current client-based game will fall right in step with this one.  Earth Eternal is a perfect game for slow days at the office; just remember to keep the sound turned down to avoid icy stares from co-workers.

1) FreeRealms

Free Realms Sets the Bar for Browser-Based MMOGs

The only title from a AAA developer, FreeRealms is definitely worthy of the top spot in this list. While SOE is a constant target for naysayers and has been through some tough times with many of its MMOG ventures of late, FreeRealms has been an unmitigated smash hit and has really shown how well a browser game can be done. FreeRealms allows players to do almost anything imaginable in a gaming environment from standard monster killing questing to race car and destruction derby style mini games and everything in between. The emphasis in this game is fun and it’s delivered in spades.  The success of the format has led to rumors that another franchise, a hugely successful IP, may be coming to the land of browser games. If that happens it could do for the browser world what WoW did for traditional client-side games.

As MMOGs take over the gaming world and the internet takes over virtually every other aspect of our lives, browser-based games are poised to be the perfect delivery vehicle of the Next Big Thing as they blend our insatiable desire for entertainment with our need for socialization into a tight knit package that keeps pace with our A.D.D. society.

Did your favorite browser MMOG make the list? Have one that you think is worthy? Let us know in our forums and as always, have fun gaming.