by Chris Ware on Feb 16, 2010
style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">Top
Ten
Free-to-Play Games
Week
of Feb 14 - Feb 20, 2010
1.Dungeons
and Dragons
Online: Eberron Unlimited
href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
2.
target="_blank">Allods
Online
target="_blank">
href="http://everquest2.station.sony.com/">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
3. Runes
of Magic
style="text-decoration: underline;">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
4.
target="_blank">FreeRealms
style="text-decoration: underline;">
href="http://www.freerealms.com/" target="_blank">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
5.
href="http://atlantica.ndoorsgames.com/center/default.asp"
target="_blank">Atlantica
Online
href="http://cabal.ogplanet.com/Reloaded.html" target="_blank">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
6.Earth
Eternal.
target="_blank">
href="http://rappelz.gpotato.com/" target="_blank">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
7. 4Story
target="_blank">
8.
target="_blank">Cabal
Online
9. Dragonica
Online
target="_blank">
10.
style="text-decoration: underline;">Heroes of Gaia
href="http://heroesofgaia.gpotato.com/" target="_blank">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
href="http://allods.gpotato.com/" target="_blank">
style="text-decoration: underline;">
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">gPotato
made my week by extending the final
closed beta of Allods Online by a few days,
allowing me to get some
extra play time on my Orc Shaman. The Shaman is a great class that
combines
magic, melee and pet play and is reminiscent in many ways of a couple
classes
in EverQuest. For those whove played it - think a
Shaman with a
controllable pet that is slightly more powerful than their warder, but
not
quite as OP as the EQ Beastlords minion. We will be looking at both of
the hybrid
type classes in our final Allods Class Preview this
week. Both are
capable of a form of healing but arent quite as adept as the Healer
archetype,
and both feature a pet of sorts--perfect for the soloist who hates to
feel
alone (although you could play any Gibberlings class and get that fix.)
Another gPotato game that you will be hearing more about in the days
ahead just
finished its first week of closed beta, and it too features a "pet"
for all classes, although this one may seem a bit more controversial
and creepy
to some players. Aika allows players to have a persistent companion
from level
7 onward called a Pran. The Pran starts out as a small nymph-like
creature that
will assist in battle and has its own skill set, experience bar and
leveling
system. As the Pran, and the player, gain levels it will morph from its
fairy-like state to that of a humanoid child and then again to that of
an
adolescent female. Aika may turn out to be the most lopsidedly
male-player-dominated
game of all time.
Over the last few weeks, Microcosms has been dominated by the folks at
gPotato
and their games, and with good reason, but fear not-- next week brings
us back
to normal as we broaden the scope a bit more. It has been an exciting
month for
MMOGs with free-to-play games beginning to dominate the scene.
style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">Microtransaction
Highlight of the Week
While
the term Hybrid typically
conjures images of a class that perform any of the "holy trinity" of
MMOG roles--healing, DPS or tanking--the scope is slightly narrowed in Allods
Online. A hybrid here is more of a DPS or tank who can dish
out some heals,
or a tank who can DPS and resurrect their fallen allies, as opposed to
a class
that can completely specialize via talent choices to excel at one
particular
role.
The two archetypes that finish up our series inhabit this grey area of
classes
that can potentially do more than one role in the game. They are the
Warden and
the Summoner (there is a third archetype that also fits this bill, but
we
discussed the Paladin our tank feature). Both archetypes feature some
form of
pet play, with the Warden being a force of nature while the Summoner
uses the
powers of death and disease to wreak havoc.
Keepers of nature, the Warden archetype has its roots in the more
primal and
tribal aspects of the Allods world.
Three races inhabit the mystic world of the Warden, the Orcish Shaman,
the
Elven Druid and the Gibberlings Animist. While all three essentially
share the
same talents and skills, racial specialties give each a unique flavor.
Often wrongly understood to be forces
of death, Summoners are
able to see clearly the aspect of life that makes it so precious--its
inevitable
end. Using the powers of life over death is a potent magic that only
the most
disciplined can wield. A well-rounded archetype, Summoners are an asset
to
their allies and inspire dread in foes. The three races which inhabit
this
realm are the Xadaganian Defiler, the Elf Demonologist and the most
ironic of
the classes--the Arisen Savant.
style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Whether
you chose to follow the forces of nature
or the allure of the undead, both of these Archetypes provide players
with a
great overall experience that is perfect for MMOG newcomers or seasoned
vets
alike.
alt="" style="border: 0px solid ; width: 600px; height: 442px;"
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/81042">
style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">Hot
off the Press!