src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/31549/preview">
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
Please note that the number of weeks has been dropped from the title of
this Top Ten list. I'll just keep doing it weekly, and I have plenty of
links to my portal
to let people find the most recent one or look at them in chronological
order.
With the Closed Beta for Atlantica
Online being offline,
I spent most of my gaming hours on Dungeon
Runners this week. But I did manage to try out
style="font-style: italic;">Cabal Online.
I'm not through playing around with it yet, but I can give some
off-the-cuff observations here. First the music is rocking. End of
story. Hard guitar riffs, banging drums, fast tempos--the music in
style="font-style: italic;">Cabal get your
heart beating faster. The starter area presents a world that feel
post-apocalyptic. The fighting worked like most other games but had a
faster feel to it. It's hard to explain in a few sentences. Let me play
it another week or two and write some coherent thoughts.
For right now, it's better than some games that have made the Top Ten,
but I am not ready to replace anything on the list this week.
The List
I only have two big changes for this week. First,
style="font-style: italic;">Warrior Epic drops
to the #10 slot. That game is generating no buzz right now. The
non-disclosure agreement (NDA) stops me from telling anybody what the
beta is like (or even whether my silence is a good thing or a bad thing
for the game). If people aren't excited about the game, does it have a
future? I sure do like the features promised on the website.
The other change is that Wakfu
is dropping to #9. Despite the optimism expressed by Ankama's
International Marketing Assistant in a
href="http://tentonhamster.com/node/2102">recent interview
featured exclusively on TenTonHamster.com, I just see a game that is
trying to make too many massive changes before launch. Look at this
way: Ankama still has not lifted the NDA on their closed beta, and the
game is set to release before December. Again, the NDA prevents me from
telling anyone whether or not the game is good--or even whether or not
my silence is good for the game or bad for the game.
Next week, I will continue playing
style="font-style: italic;">Cabal Online, and I
will try out Archlord.
Plus, my sources indicate that the Atlantica
Online beta will begin again soon. I can't wait.
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.
Free-to-Play Games
August 7, 2008
1
1
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NDOORS
Atlantica
will reopen soon--the beta that is. Get yourself a key and try it.
2
2
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NEXON
I
would love to see NEXON recycle the
style="font-style: italic;">Mabinogi formula on
a mature-themed game. I think that would make people realize how good
their games are.
3
3
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/33602/preview">
( target="_blank">http://www.dungeonrunners.com style="font-weight: bold;">) NCSoft
Dungeon
Runners is very fun in periodic bursts. I think every
gamer should go ahead and install it for those days when you can't
decide what to play.
4
4
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/35119/preview">
Rohan
has the best graphics of any game on this list. A lot of people
complain about the grind in the late twenties, but it is still fun for
me. The biggest issue is finding a good group.
style="font-weight: bold;">
5
5
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/32333/preview">
href="http://domo.aeriagames.com/">http://domo.aeriagames.com style="font-weight: bold;">) Aeria Games &
Entertainment
Dream of Mirror
Online is like Mabinogi
in that a more mature version (at least graphically) would be a huge
success because the framework of the game is so solid.
6
7
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/30838/preview">
Online
- ( href="http://mwo.enjoymmo.com/" target="_blank">http://mwo.enjoymmo.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Goldcool Games
Magic World Online
keeps crawling back up on me. It's a good game from a dedicated staff.
7
8
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/36886/preview">
( href="http://www.runesofmagic.com/">www.runesofmagic.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Frogster
Runes of Magic
will be starting Closed Beta in September. I will be a Mage for
starters, but the idea of a battle cleric appeals greatly to me. The
Dual Class system sparks my imagination like a good D & D romp.
8
10
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/37572/preview">
( href="http://www.joymax.com/deco/" target="_blank">http://www.joymax.com/deco/ style="font-weight: bold;">) JOYMAX
Deco Online
has a tenuous position on this list. It's okay, but I could see it
slipping soon.
9
6
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/30840/preview">
target="_blank">www.wakfu.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Ankama
Wakfu
was a big deal two months ago when Closed Beta was starting for English
speakers. Now the official English forums are nearly a ghost town, and
the game is undergoing a major restructure.
10
9
src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/30841/preview">
( href="http://warriorepic.com/">http://warriorepic.com style="font-weight: bold;">)
Possibility Space
Warrior Epic
looks to be a fresh take on the dungeon crawler. Wait. I said that last
week. I wish I could tell you how it plays.
To read the latest guides, news, and features you can visit our Dungeon Runners Game Page.