Nothing is more disappointing than a wimpy
performance when it
counts--at launch. As Danny "Ralsu" Gourley makes his way from one F2P
title to another, he keeps finding the same lackluster pattern: betas
are for marketing and launches are for opening cash shops. Noting the
big finish for the Runes of Magic beta later this
month, Ralsu calls on other F2P games to deliver some real punch:

It may sound like a
silly concept to P2P gamers, but F2P titles frequently transition to
“live” status with little more than a news blurb on their homepage. style="font-style: italic;">Runes of Magic is
set to launch March 19 with the inclusion of new dungeons, skills, and
quests. That is to say, players will be able to tell the difference
between the beta version they play on March 18 and the release version
they play on March 19.

Another concept that could add to a launch party is production
of retail
boxes, but are F2P games really good enough? Find out more in this
week's href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/65098">Top
Ten Free-to-Play Games.