With new questing systems, exciting worlds and hideous monsters. Oh, and it’s based on one of the biggest nerd phenomena in existence – Dungeons and Dragons – need I say more?

Read our review of Dungeons & Dragons Online – Eberron Unlimited, and give it a shot. Yes, it’s most definitely worth it.

Dungeons & Dragons Online – Eberron Unlimited

The digital spin-off of the popular (old school) D&D role-playing game was originally released three years ago in February 2006. The game, then still working under the monthly subscription strategy, didn’t live up to expectations. Even though gameplay was great, the anticipated user-mass stayed out and the under-populated servers were not the MMORPG place to be.

Three years later, Dungeons & Dragons Online relaunches with Eberron Unlimited. The hefty price? – zero USD per month to access this Dungeons & Dragons online free server!

A success is the least we can say about DDO – Eberron Unlimited. Only a few days in the running, new sign-ups to this Dungeons & Dragons online free server are rising greatly. This time it’s not too hard to see DDO reaching the top - in my personal expectation, it’s only a matter of time.

Gameplay and Quests

Similar to most MMORPG’s, DDO focuses on quests for game progression and rewards. Nevertheless, do not expect solely monster-bashing gameplay like in World of Warcraft. DDO is filled with exciting puzzles and the like and often the creature-killing isn’t even central in a quest.

At the start of the game, low-level quests can be played solo. However, as the game progresses, it becomes necessary to work in teams of up to 6 characters, usually with multiple roles, like tanks (melee), healers and casters (magic).

Overall, quests can be played on 4 different difficulty levels – Solo, Normal, Hard and Elite. Solo is only available in low-level quests, and hard and elite raise the stakes with additional XP and monetary bonuses.

Innovative New Pricing Model

The marketing guys behind DDO preach their “innovative new pricing model”. To the critical public, this could easily be written off as ‘micropayments — again’. However, it’s not as simple as that.

Evidently for a free to play game, you don’t need to put any money in it. There are plenty of worlds to explore and quests to enjoy that you’d wonder ‘why bother’.

However, for those gamers who are willing to spend an extra dime, there are two available systems. New lands, quests or items that might be released later on can be purchased through micro-payments. Alternatively, people who continue to enjoy the game on a monthly fee basis receive this goodness automatically and get an additional amount of ‘credits’ to spend on various other in-game items. To sum up, premium members can now have the menu, or order a la carte.

But whether you’re free or premium, you shall play the game. Download it here.

Minimum System Requirements
Processor: P4 1.6GHz or AMD equivalent with SSE
Memory: 512MB RAM
Graphics Card: 64 MB Hardware T&L-compatible video card
Network Connection” 56.6K modem
Software: Windows XP, DirectX 9
Disc Space: 3GB, 5GB for high resolution

Recommended System Requirements
Processor: P4 3.0GHz or AMD equivalent with SSE
Memory: 1GB RAM
Graphics Card: GeForce FX or better with 128MB of memory
Network Connection: Cable Modem or DSL connection

And give us your personal opinion in the comments section below. The file might be around 3 GB, but it’s most definitely worth it.

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• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• Download & Play a MMORPG Called Ragnarok for Free (10)
• Top 3 Ways for Kids To Make Money Online (45)
• The Top 3 Online Multiplayer Games (MMO) For Youngsters (29)
• Runes of Magic – The Best Free Internet Multiplayer Game (22)

It was then that He created three races from his own being – the Humans from his spirit, the Untamed from his body and the Winged Elves from his blood. After creating these three races, Pan Gu vowed never to interfere again. The three different races lived, not in perfect harmony, but in occasional conflict. Tensions built up and wars were fought for the lands of the world.

In one time of conflict, the original inhibitors of the world emerged and soon returned in full force. Being stuck between life and death, these beings were called Wraiths. To stand up against this powerful enemy and protect the Perfect World, the three races will have to unite over their differences. It’s a violent and miserable time in history, but these wars need to be fought to protect our world from the wraiths.

A Perfect World International

A Perfect World International is a free MMORPG from a Beijing games developer. Many different versions have hit the public over time, but an international client – more specifically aimed at American gamers – has been released relatively recently.

The game, set in the Perfect World, mainly handles character leveling through quests. A lot of side quests are available, but there’s also a main quest, which plays a role in further character development by unlocking new skills.

These skills are specific to class (a.k.a. profession) and can range from temporal upgrades of your abilities to new, permanent ‘skills’. It’s only with the skills that you can really begin to explore a character’s possibilities.

Players can choose four different crafting skills, to make in-game items. Blacksmithing allows you to create weapons, tailoring to create armor, crafting to create jewelry and apothecary to create potions.

Special Features

Pet mounts can be acquired in the game, to move (run or fly) a lot quicker along the map. Mounts range from leopards, raptors, and even flying creatures. Having a mount in the game gives one a major advantage over other players. Mounts can be acquired during quests, or purchased in the in-game store.

One of the most unique features of the game are the territory wars, where opposing guilds fight in huge numbers to claim the right of the land. With up to eighty players on each side, this creates an insane PvP experience.

Character customization is incredibly extensive in A Perfect World. Players are permitted to tweak the tiniest detail of their character, as well as choose from a big collection of clothing. The game really gives all means to personalize your character, and no two characters will look entirely the same.

Have you played A Perfect World International yet? If you have, tell us what you think of the game in the comments section below!

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• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• Download & Play a MMORPG Called Ragnarok for Free (10)
• Asda Story – A Soul Mate MMORPG (5)
• Dungeons & Dragons Online MMORPG Re-Releases – Free! (14)
• Discarded Online – A Free MMOCC Beat ‘em Up (2)

Ragnarok Online is a freely downloadable client much like Gunbound or Rakion, the only difference being that you have to pay a subscription in order to play. This is originally a Korean based MMORPG, but since its inception in 2001, the game has been sponsored by various regional ventures which have been given much freedom in determining how they would like to run the platform. Recently, the U.S. region has decided to try out a “free to play” server called “Valkryie,” supplemented with a shop where gamers can pay real money to purchase certain items and such.

Ragnarok Online is based off a manga called Ragnarok, and there is obviously an amazing story filled with fairies, swords, magical items, and evil powers at work. If anyone who is reading this has played Diablo 2, World of Warcraft, or other games of this nature, Ragnarok Online has the same taste.

Players can gain experience points and obtain more powerful weapons by accepting quests or just going out into the open and fighting monsters. But what makes this game so fun is the gameplay and the community. People form guilds, fight larger battles, and interact with each other. I personally played this for some time, and the players on the servers are helpful, gregarious, and fun to be around, which is not something we can say about all online games these days.

In addition to the fun atmosphere, what’s truly addicting about this (and probably all MMORPGs) is the battle system. Players all start out labeled “novice,” and as they gain experience and level up by battling monsters and passing so-called “exams,” they move up by being able to choose more specified professions ranging from high wizard to mechanic to clown. Here we are fighting some Porings and Chonchons:

If you don’t want to battle monsters, you can also fight other players via the nature of PvP, or player vs. player. There are certain arenas split by level bounds that players can duke it out in. Death in some arenas result in penalties such as a loss of experience points. We could sit here all day and discuss the game, but the best option is for you to go out and try it! Here is a small trailer of the game when it first came out (you may want to watch it in HQ):

The downside to playing Ragnarok is that the engine updates and patches every couple of days, so if you don’t play for a long time, you will have to wait a while for the system to update itself.

System Requirements

Intel Pentium 500 MHz equivalent

At least 128MB RAM

At least Direct X 8

8MB graphics card

At least 1 GB Hard Drive Space

As stated before, the game differs from region to region, so if you don’t live in the U.S., you may want to check if your country supports the game and has the free server available. If you DO live in the U.S., you can get it here.

Note that you will want to download the Ragnarok “Valkryie” option to get the free version so you can play Ragnarok for free, do not download the premium version.

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• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• Dungeons & Dragons Online MMORPG Re-Releases – Free! (14)
• Asda Story – A Soul Mate MMORPG (5)
• A Perfect World International – Great Free MMORPG (10)
• Top 3 Ways for Kids To Make Money Online (45)

This is the world in which we find a robot shooter game Exteel. A chaotic fight for survival, where people struggle for control of the planet. They’re trying to control the resources, and perhaps ultimately, ensure their further existence.

In this future world, battles get fought on a more personal level than today, but the influences of time and technology are obvious.

Exteel

Soldiers mount statuesque Mechanaughts robots, and face each other head on. Equipped with a wide variety of plasma and conventional weapons, swords and guns, they engage in a fast-paced, adrenaline-powered battle.

Exteel is one of the best games of its kind, and free as well. It’s hard not to lose yourself in the rush of gameplay. With its fast pace and fluent controls, how could a robot-fighting game not be cool? Fly, or boost yourself around the level, and frag some of those Cylons mech warriors to hell.

You can play with up to 16 players in online deathmatches, capture-the-flag, and other traditional game modes. As far as comparisons go, this game plays pretty similar to the popular S4 League game.

Expandability and Customizability

However, one of the biggest standout features of the game, is its expandability. Players can customize their robots by choosing from a multitude of weapons, armor parts and skills. Once you get started, no two mech warriors are the same. Parts can be bought in all-in-packages, called ’sets’, or separately.

Skills can be purchased with in-game credits earned while working your way through the game, or real-money deposits, but we’ll get back on that later on. Skills are weapon-specific, and will give you an extra advantage in battle.

On the Downside

On the downside, Exteel doesn’t feature a particularly extensive storyline, like you’d expect from such a big MMORPG. Instead of offering a lot of depth, the game just manages to keep you entertained. Well entertained, if I might say so – which is good enough for me. Although a story is often preferred, it’s pretty superfluous and shouldn’t really interfere with the actual gameplay.

Nevertheless, a substantial downside comes from the importance of NCcoins. People can make micro-transactions to raise their credits in-game. For those willing to spend, buying better armour and skills becomes increasingly easier, and although they might not be as skilled as many opponents, they’ve got an obvious advantage.

Like it or hate it? Let us know what you think about the game, or direct any possible questions to the comments section below. If you have played other robot shooter games share your thoughts as well.

Minimum System Requirements

AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium III 800 MHz
GeForce Series 4 video card
256 MB RAM
1 GB available HDD space
Windows 2000/XP

Recommended System Requirements

AMD Athlon 64 2800+ or Intel Pentium 4 2.0 GHz
GeForce 5700 or ATI Radeon 9200 Series video card
512 MB RAM

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• Quake Live – Free Online Shooting Game in Your Browser (22)
• Cross Fire – Online Fastpaced Multiplayer Shooting Game (31)
• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• GunBound – Multiplayer Worms-like Shooting Game (7)
• Dungeons & Dragons Online MMORPG Re-Releases – Free! (14)

There’s a hidden grace, in the simple complexity of the dance. A fluent chain of movements with no moves wasted.

There’s a strange intesity that comes from MMORPGs. Getting inside the character’s head – no, becoming the character and walking the strangest of worlds. You’re living the most instense of experiences, and become the hero of your own adventure.

Now try to imagine a martial arts MMORPG. Imagine corruptness, the vilest of evils and its sickening touch on the world. Imagine a battle between good and evil, fought with martial arts and magic alike. Imagine Xiah Rebirth.

Xiah Rebirth

Xiah Rebirth, also known as Oriental Fantasy-Xiah, is an asian-themed online fighting game, created by GamesCampus. You might now these guys from other great (free) online games previously seen on MakeUseOf, like Cue Online and Asda Story. Although the game originally dates back to 2005, regular updates keep Xiah Rebirth an enthralling game that miserably fails to disappoint.

In Xiah Rebirth’s world – based on ancient asian mythology – four legendary warriors must take up arms against the heritage of the evil Blood Emperor and weigh the combined forces of good against the ancient forces of evil.

Multiplayer Online Fighting Game

Focused in the gameplay of Xiah Rebirth are asian martial arts. Through fierce training, you can try your character in. Work hard to level up and unlock various new abilities and powers. Boosting your experience level gets even easier if you participate in one of the many guilds, or play in a party with other players. There are a few major guilds that dominate the political landscape, fight hard and define ‘the good side’ by pushing your faction to the top.

The martial art moves are worked out in the slightest detail, and the game can be enjoyed in both first and third person perspectives. Keep your distance, or experience everything first-hand. There are various paths to addiction and you can choose which fits you best.

Rebirth and Five Elements System

Like an oversized reincarnating Pokémon, you’re able to be reborn several times during the game, each time achieving vastly greater powers and abilities.

Not only does the system allow you to increase your mastery of in-game items, through time you can also unlock the infamous Dragon Attacks – which include special magic techniques that are only known to expert rebirth masters and a handful of blind monks in the tunnels below the southern Himalayas.

The Five Element magic, on the other hand, allows you to greatly enhance the overall strength of your rare weaponry. Enchanted weapons are sure to inflict a multitude of damage, combined with special elemental attacks, such as enchanted fire and water strikes.

Check out Xiah Rebirth Game Trailer below:

You can download the game here. If you’ve got anything to say, remark, or ask – head to the comments section below. We’d love to hear from you!

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• Download & Play a MMORPG Called Ragnarok for Free (10)
• Manga Fighter – MMO Arena Fighting Game For Kids (5)
• Dungeons & Dragons Online MMORPG Re-Releases – Free! (14)
• BOTS!! – Awesome Robot Battle Online Multiplayer Game (5)
• Asda Story – A Soul Mate MMORPG (5)

However, as cyberspace developed, the responsibility of the bots widened. They were now expected to fight of viruses and restore corrupt clusters.

But the world of cyberspace got out of balance. With the vast and ever exponentially growing size, a pullulation of corrupt clusters was inevitable. The viruses mutated and took possession of the bots.

To fight off these new treats, bots took themselves back to the drawing table. They fitted each other with new parts, and tried to actively evolve to be able to match the enemy viruses.

Bots!!

Bots!! is a massive multiplayer online (MMO, not in-browser) hack and slash game, created by Acclaim Games. In it, you can fight your way through storied levels with your own personalised robots, or fight against other players.

In the game, you can not only choose your own robot from three different classes (read: factory lines), but you can also customize its body, head and even arms to create your unique metal friend. With the availability of a great many number of skills, you can further customize the strengths and characteristics of your bot.

By charging up their energy, bots can temporarily transform into bigger, humanoid robots. These transformations will lend you the strength that would normally require several bots, and allow you to come stronger and faster against enemies. The gameplay video above shows a good demonstration of this feature as well.

Game Modes

There are three entirely different game modes; Player vs. Viruses, Player vs. Players and PvP Base Mode.

In Player vs. Viruses – also know as Sector Battle – you play alone or in group against the A.I. virus bots. Instead of working a single map, players proceed in linear level parts, only moving on as the current bots lie defeated. At the end of the level, you face a Virus boss, with added experience. This mode can best be compared to the old progression-arcade fighters.

Player vs. Player (PvP) battles include deathmatch and team deathmatch on a roamable map. Either fight one on one or in separate teams and ultimately test your strengths. There’s only one rule: take as many other players with your in the grave.

In PvP Base Mode – also known as Base Battles – you play in team and must destroy the other team’s base. You must play both offensive and defensive to victor in this mode. Contrary to most other games like this, players only have a limited number of respawns, and will be positioned by the sidelines after that.

So, what do you think? Do you feel like participating in these bot-fights yet, or do you prefer the standard FPS or MMORPG games? Let us know in the comments section below.
Minimum Requirements
Windows 98/98SE/ME/2000/XP
Pentium III 800Mhz
128 MB RAM
32 MB Video card
Sound card

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• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• Quake Live – Free Online Shooting Game in Your Browser (22)
• Manga Fighter – MMO Arena Fighting Game For Kids (5)
• Exteel : Third-Person Online Robot Shooter Game (4)
• Dungeons & Dragons Online MMORPG Re-Releases – Free! (14)

But then something else comes along — a magical experience presents itself and defies almost anything you’ve seen before.

Runes of Magic – Rise of the Demon Lord

Frogster’s Runes of Magic is a free-to-play MMORPG, and to be quite frank, it’s one of the best free MMORPGs around. It even beats a lot of the retail ones.

Since its launch a few months ago, it has been criticized numerous times for being a World of Warcraft lookalike, or even clone. Although they might produce various similarities – which, in my opinion, is a positive thing – the game also manages to throw new elements in the ring and goes way beyond a simple copycat.

Runes of Magic had been in the beta phase for a while, and it finally went live mid-March, with its first installment of the series, Rise of the Demon Lord.

Earlier this month, they also released a teaser for The Elven Prophecy chapter sequel, introducing an additional race, new classes, and a ton of upcoming features. Although crossing fingers is about as much as we can do at the moment, it’s certain that Runes of Magic is here to stay.

The Game

Runes of Magic further pursues the main characteristics of this genre. In the game, you play a character from one of six character classes, including Warrior, Scout, Rogue, Mage, Priest and Knight, each with their own characteristics. Besides the upcoming elven character, Runes of Magic has already hinted on a mysterious eighth class.

You can choose to play the game non-violently, by focusing on crafting additional skills, but you’d be missing out on a serious part of the game. Upon launch, it was accompanied by over a thousand attainable quests, a phenomenal number for a free-to-play game, and one that will continue to grow.

Once you’ve reached level 10, be it by monster-fighting (or PvP), quest-solving, or craftmanship, you can choose a secondary class to further develop their character abilities and give a new edge to the way you experience the game.

This is, without any doubt, one of the most professional and most ‘complete’ free Internet multiplayer games I’ve come around. A definite must-try for the fans of the game genre.

So what do you think? Which MMORPG do you prefer, and why? Tell us and your fellow MakeUseOf readers all about it in the comments.

Did you like the post? Please do share your thoughts in the comments section!

New on MakeUseOf ? Get cheat sheets and cool PDF guides @ www.makeuseof.com/makeuseof-downloads/

• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• Dungeons & Dragons Online MMORPG Re-Releases – Free! (14)
• Download & Play a MMORPG Called Ragnarok for Free (10)
• Top 3 Ways for Kids To Make Money Online (45)
• The Top 3 Online Multiplayer Games (MMO) For Youngsters (29)

Wizardry, swordfighting, monsterslaying and questsolving. Who’s with me? This is one sort of entertainment I hope I’ll never need to miss.

We’ve showed a few of these games to you in the past, mostly multiplayer and all of them entirely free. Today we’ve got another game ready for you.

La Tale

The word tale in La Tale – as the developers describe it – refers to the mythical adventures that lie ahead. La can mean a lot of things – not only the tale, but as a musical note it also points to the melodic generic storytelling involved.

The game, courtesy of OGPlanet.com, is a manga-style 2D side-scrolling MMORPG. It’s got a Hack ‘n Slash kind of action-orientated gameplay, and has often been compared to the well-known MapleStory game. However, it’s deemed the better by a fair margin by most gamers.

La Tale offers fun for all ages, with hours of adventuring in its enormous fantasy worlds. There are always more monsters to be defeated, more levels to be gained and new experiences to be lived.

Gameplay

A side-scrolling action-adventure MMORPG is what you’ll get served in La Tale. Similar to MapleStory, you can move horizontally and vertically, through cities, battlefields and over platforms. Play with other people from around the world and join up in guilds.

The game is mostly played by gaining experience through fighting monsters, or by acting out quests. You start out with one main-quest, centering the lost hero Iris Levier. Throughout the game, you’ll encounter magical markers, called Stones of Iris, which will help you along, but you’ll encounter plenty of side-quests along the way as well.

The Ely currency, which is used to purchase in-game equipment and the like, is obtained by killing monsters and completing quests. Premium players also have access to Astros, wich is obtained by trading real money and can be used to purchase special items.

Classes and Skills

The main gameplay classes are Warriors, Knights, Wizards, Explorers and Engineers. Each class devides further down in subclasses, ranging from Bards to Meisters.

Warriors are the heavy-duty characters. They wield the strongest weapons and concentrate mostly on offense. They have limited defensive skills, but can deal with high amounts of damage.

Knights take the middle road between offense and defense. They wield both a one-handed weapon and and a shield. Their combination of shielding and endurance allow them to withstand a lot of damage, but they are not as strong as warriors.

Wizards fight using their magic. They can manipulate the elements of fire, water, wind and earth. Wizards can use their skills for highly offensive or defensive purposes, but usually fight from a significant distance.

Explorers are the sneaky bastards. Like wizards, they fight from a distance, but with conventional weaponry. They usually wear daggers, bows and crossbows. They’re incredibly agile, but not all that strong.

Engineers are the in-game carpenters. The only weapon at hand for them is a toolbox. They can make passive weaponry or repair mechanical tools.

The characteristics of these classes are further completed by their skills – Weapon, Magic Miscellaneous, Action and Emotion. These skills can be improved by earning experience through quests and monster-fighting.

Minimum System Requirements
OS: Windows 98/2000/XP/Vista
CPU: Pentium 3 866MHz
RAM: 512MB
VGA: Geforce4MX
HDD: 1GB or higher
DirectX 9.0C or higher

Recommended System Requirements
CPU: Pentium 2.0GHz or higher
RAM: 1GB or higher
VGA: Geforce4 4200 or higher

So what do you think about La Tale? The biggest flop or greatest multiplayer adventure? We’d love to hear about it, so don’t be shy, and spill your opinions in the comments section below.

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• BattleForge – Electronic Arts RTS Cardgame Is Now Free! (5)
• Asda Story – A Soul Mate MMORPG (5)
• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• Second Life – What is the Hype? (17)
• Rakion, Another Great Free MMO Game! (5)

The game, which has been lying in stores for two months, has now been released for free. This might be considered a hit below the belt for early buyers, but is great news for the rest of us and the freeware gaming community in general.

Just last week, we saw THQ’s first person shooter STALKER being released for free. We then wondered if this would be a single occurrence or the start of something beautiful. As things play out, I tend to go for the latter.

BattleForge

Electronic Arts combined several different game genres to forge this title, including real-time strategy, role playing and cardgame elements. Being a ’special boy’ taking the high road, things were exciting for a moment, but BattleForge managed to pull it off with style.

Gameplay

In BattleForge, you control an army of fantastic beings, represented in your card deck. With BattleForge Play 4 Free, you start out with an already impressive deck of 32 cards, but this isn’t near the limit, with over 200 cards available through micropayments (read below).

Your deck then gets integrated into an online RTS game. Instead of putting down weapon factories and creating construction sites, you throw your cards on the table. Cards can represent creatures, buildings, or even spells.

Deploying these cards requires the use of power and possession of orbs. For this reason, you’ll need to conquer the strategic Power-Wells and Monuments. Fighting a battle is a combination of acquiring these points and confronting your enemy. To win a battle, you’ll need to plan ahead and think fast, because plans only last until the fighting starts.

You can play against other players online, or against the computer. However, it goes without saying that the real fun lies in the online gameplay.

Money is Power

There are two ways to expand your deck, trading cards at the in-game market place, or buying Booster Packs. However, because all free players start with the same two starter decks, the first option is out of the question.

Booster Packs are bought with BattleForge Points, which can be bought for real money. What this means, is that you can only expand your deck beyond the 32 starter cards through micro payments (about half a dollar per card). Simply put, money is power.

Gold, upgrades and XP can be obtained through regular gameplay, so you can still strengthen the deck you’ve got.

Play 4 Free

This free release is a strange, yet very interesting development. There’s doesn’t seem to be any real consistency in the business model, but hell, it gives us an awesome game for free.

The retail box can still be bought in stores, but now performs the role of a point box. You can redeem the code, and claim your 64 cards and 3000 BattleForge Points that came with it originally.

Included in this download are two full decks of 32 cards, and access to all additional content updates since its release. To use some privileges however, like offering a card in the auction house, you first need to train to a certain experience level.

Go to BattleForge.com and start downloading now!

System Requirements
Windows XP/Vista
Internet connection: 512kbps
CPU: 1.8GHz AMD64 or Intel Core (or comparable)
RAM: 512MB (XP), 1GB (Vista)
Graphics card with 128MB, NVidia GeForce 6000-Series or better, ATI Radeon 9500 or better
Minimum 10GB hard drive space for Installation
Display: 1024×768 minimum

Wonderful game, or incredible failure? Great opportunity, or too limited by the micropayment system for extra cards? Any reactions you care to share on this or related subjects can be directed to the comments section below!

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• La Tale – A 2D MMORPG Sidescrolling Action Game (3)
• Asda Story – A Soul Mate MMORPG (5)
• Xiah Rebirth – Martial Arts Themed MMORPG (5)
• Second Life – What is the Hype? (17)
• Rakion, Another Great Free MMO Game! (5)

A wonderful world, but man grew skeptical and started denying the reality behind dreams. As a result, the world stopped expanding.

Man grew worried and felt a deep sorrow for the loss of dreams. Evil forces split up the peaceful world into fractions and a cancer spread throughout reality. The world began to transform for the worst, with dangerous realms and horrible monsters emerging. Gods fought and armies broke. It was a time of great unease, a time when chaos ruled.

The current day is filled with an uneasy peace, awaiting the clash of Omnidecron’s evil power and the combined force of the Road of Mind and Lumper’s power. Warriors train, and ready themselves for a war to come. This is Asda Story.

Asda Story

This game is a brand new MMORPG adventure from GameCampus. Play it online (not in-browser, mind) with friends, and explore this enormous world with its endless possibilities.

Play it over the web with friends, and explore this enormous world with its endless possibilities. The game includes basic RPG classes, like warriors, archers and mages, but it also introduces several revolutionizing gameplay mechanisms, like the Soul Mate, Sowel and several quest systems. We’ll explain those below.

Soul Mate

The Soul Mate is Asda Story’s signature feature. It allows you to join up with a close buddy, and work your way through the game together. A Soul Mate is not only an interesting companion, but it also gives you certain benefits over playing solo.

Soul Mates share in experience. They receive a share of the points when their companion trains or joins a party. Ultimately, an offline player can also lend the soul of his character to aid his companion, or share the whole character. When a character is shared, both players can play with it and train it, although only the owner can spend money, sell and delete items.

However, soul mates also share another advantage. Certain ingame skills, like summon and ressurection, can only be earned and deployed when the player has a soul mate. Upon rejecting their soul mates, skills temporarily become unavailable until another sould mate is found.

Sowels

Another interesting concept is the sowel, a contraction of soul and jewel. These make the very base of Asda Story’s weapons and appearance system.

Where in most games an item’s look is connected to certain specifics, items in Asda Story are merely empty shells. The real power comes from the sowels, magical crystals that can be found and earned throughout the game.

There’s a wide variety of sowels, and maximum four of them can be combined to enforce a single item. This makes for thousands of possibilities and ensures that nearly any weapons are truly alike.

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We wrote about them in the past, on MakeUseOf. Mind you, not your average beat ‘em ups. No, you can find tons of those on the web already, most often without too much of a difference amongst them.

No, here at MakeUseOf, we like special things. Things that haven’t been done before – like designing your own fighting moves with Toribash.

Today, we’re taking a look at another special beat ‘em child.

Discarded Online – An MMOCCBEU

Discarded Online is, according to their creators, an MMOCCBEU.

- W.. What?

Yes, an MMOCCBEU. It’s an abbreviation for Massive Multiplayer Online Card Collectible Beat ‘em Up, which is at the very least a whole mouthful. We’ll get into the card collecting later on, but the other things should be pretty clear; an online fighting game.

Discarded Online is flash based, which means you’ll be able to play it right out of your browser, without downloading a thing. For those interested, the people behind Discarded Online have even released some of their files, so you can embed the game on your own website.

The Story – Missions

Since the game is an MMO, and an RPG to some extent, one would presume the presence of a story. This gets us right to my biggest dislike about the game – which is that it doesn’t feature a story.

Instead, Discarded Online works through the means of missions; short side-scrolling, quarantined levels that you can play by yourself, or with a party of friends. These missions variate from killing all enemies in a level, to defeating a boss, or remaining alive for a given time.

All missions start and end in the lobby. As of such, you don’t need to expect a free roaming world, like we know in most games these days. However, the missions provide tons of fun – especially when played with friends – and the card collecting system gives this game its extra edge.

Card Collectable

We mentioned Discarded Online being a card collectable game already, but we didn’t provide you with the details yet. The cards system is woven throughout the game, and is what makes it special.

By playing missions, you can earn credits. These are rewarded to you after unlocking certain achievements, like killing ‘that amount’ of enemies, or finishing ‘that mission’.

With those credits, you can buy collectible cards from the card store. All these cards represent items – for advancing in strength, or smirking your character up. Tons of cards are available, ranging from a nice pair of shoes, to the baseball bat of ultimate destruction (yes, I made that name up).

Note that the game is no longer being developed, nor extended. The game also warns for using real money, because refunds are as of such no longer possible.

Deploying Cards

While progressing in the game, you get to assign credits to each of the three different schools: Athletics, Science, and Mischief. These credits can be rearranged at any given point.

Each card, with the exception of clothing, requires a set number of credits, from one or more of the three groups. When deploying a card, it will take the required number of credits from those groups.

Basically, your card collection and credit alignment are what will define your character, both concerning looks and abilities.

If you’re to reach the top, you need to consider deeply how to arrange your credits, and which cards to buy and to deploy.

It’s ironic that a game which is no longer being developed or extended is called “Discarded”. But nevertheless this is a fun game and comes highly recommended.

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Every now and then, when a race of monsters got out of hand, they would come out of hibernation and eliminate them.

One day, the humans started their rise to power. Again, the White Dragons started to awake. But the humans acted like no race of monsters ever did before. They tried to negotiate with the White Dragons, they tried to use reason.

The White Dragons, who were impressed by this unusual way of things, granted them another five hundred years. Unfortunately the humans forgot about this pact, and exactly five hundred years later, a meteorite was sent to earth.

The meteorite possessed magical powers, and soon monsters started to increase in power, number and organisation. Ultimately, after the great war and at the cost of many lives, the meteorite was destroyed. Pieces of the meteorite, called ‘Cells’, were put away deep under the surface.

Another thousand years passed until the pieces were recovered. Wars were fought and lives were lost. But the way of battle took a curious turn. People found out that the shards of the meteorite, the Cells, could be controlled individually. One could summon monsters, varying in size and strength, using those cells. Combat was changed for good.

It could be that the humans grew stronger through this series of events. It could also be that the punishment of the White Dragons has yet to begin because there is nothing worse than to be destroyed by your own.

Rakion: Chaos Force

Rakion is an MMO, a Massive Multiplayer Online Game. Actually, it’s a MMORPG, a Massive Multiplayer Role Playing Game, but I prefer to skip those last three letters. Mainly because the Rakion gameplay system differs immensely from the big guys within this genre, like World of Warcraft, Guild Wars and ArchLord.

Most of these games use a turn based set-up, which means that you have to await the response of your opponent before dealing out your next blow. Rakion however, tries to handle the combat in a more direct approach.

Rakion Gameplay

The ultimate goal of Rakion: Chaos Force, is to give you a more active fighting role. They try to protect you from the boredom that usually befalls people after playing MMORPG’s for a while. Repetitive actions tend to become quite a drag after some time.

Rakion isn’t turn based however, which makes it a lot more attractive for the casual gamer. They still work with expoints, collectable items, player classes and -levels but they’ve completely switched over to a hack and slash system.

Something that should also be noted is that Rakion does not work with a free roaming world and quests like most MMORPG’s. Rakion is played through limited PvP sessions in a closed environment.

Game Modes

A few different game modes can be played in Rakion.

Golem War

In Golem War, the players are divided into a red and a blue team. Each team gets assigned a master golem. The main objective is to destroy the other team’s and protect your own master golem at all cost.

There is only one weapon that can damage a master golem however – a gold sword which is obtained by killing the gold golem at the center of the map. The gold sword can only be kept for one and a half minutes, or until you die. When this happens, the golden golem resurrects again.

Death Match

A well known concept. We can distinguish to different modes here; Team- and Solo Death Match.

In Team Death Match, you are again divided into two teams. The main objective is to kill as many members from the other team as possible. The game stops when one of the teams reach the assigned kill point goal or when the time is up. In the latter case, the team with the most kills wins.

Solo Death Match applies mostly the same concept. Instead it’s every man for himself and you have to try to reach the kill point goal on your own.

Boss Mode

The players once again get divided into two teams. The team member from the highest level is appointed as boss. The objective is to kill the other team’s boss and protect your own. The game is over when one of the bosses dies, or when the time is up, in which case the team of the boss with the most energy left wins.

Rewards

During the game, players get different types of points, with which they can level up or buy additional items. The different types of points that are distributed during gameplay are:

• Cell points, which can be used to summon creatures.
• Gold, which can be used to purchase additional items.
• Experience, which can be used to make your character stronger.
• Creature Exp, which can be used to make your summonable creatures stronger.

Overall

Rakion is a very nice and entertaining game, especially if you take into consideration that the file is only about 350 MB in size. It has the constant action to keep you entertained, but doesn’t forget the details with the items and leveling system.

[rating=4]

Download Rakion: Chaos Force here.

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• MUO Games – Archlord: A Free Jawdropping MMORPG (0)
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There’s one question that lies on everybody’s lips; who will be the next Archlord? Who will prove worthy? The gallery of heroes can never be long enough. Chantra is in need of those ‘ordinary heroes’. People like you.

About Archlord

Archlord is an MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) by NHN Games Corporation and Codemasters. The game was also featured in the movie BenX, about an autistic boy escaping into the virtual world. You might know the guys at Codemasters from other good games like Overlord, The Lord of the Rings Online and Sensible Soccer. There is one major difference, though. Since the 18th of August, Archlord (together with all of its expansions) was released as a free download.

The Chantra Shop

Archlord gets its money from the game’s ‘Chantra Shop’; a place to buy exclusive in-game items with ‘Chantra Credits’, funded by your (dad’s) credit card. In short, you can play Archlord without paying a penny (or cent), but you might miss out on some exclusive pieces of armour.

Archlord Gameplay

There are basically two ways to play Archlord; solving quests and getting into the Archlord System. The quest solving is pretty much self explanatory. There are tons and tons of quests, widely differing in their length and difficulty. This is a more solo-aimed play, though you can team up with other players to beat that impossible village boss.

The Archlord System

The Archlord System is a bit more complicated. As you may know from the intro, Chantra is ruled by an almighty Archlord. This is one player per server (there are three in total), with exclusive powers. The Archlord has the ability to choose between night and day, rain and sunshine on the entire server. He has a personal guard and can summon powerful monsters to protect him or fight by his side.

To become the Archlord, you first need to become the head of a guild and train your ass off. When you and your guild are strong enough, you can participate in a castle raid. In this raid, you have a defending and an attacking guild. The goal of the defending guild is to defeat the attackers, or at least try to hold them off as long as possible. The attacking guild, on the other hand, needs to attack and claim the castle. A detailed guide of how this goes into work can be found here.

When you’ve obtained the castle, you need to perform a siege on the current Archlord’s fortress; The Rensphere Castle. You join this ‘run’ against the guilds of the two other castles. The goal is to fight off the monsters and each other and be the first to challenge the Archlord’s right hand; Dikan, The Dark Lord of Chaos. When defeated, you will be crowned the new Archlord.

Roundup

The game looks great, sounds great (the original soundtrack was composed by the London Symphonic Orchestra) and the playing environment is simply huge. I have played the game for a few weeks, and I haven’t even been in half of the possible places. If you were to walk from one side to another, you’d literally lose a day, so you’ll be happy to see the (pricey) teleport gates they’ve put in the game.

[rating=4]

Download Archlord Free

Archlord is freely available. The 1.3 GB download (featuring all expansion packs) can be found here. Enjoy!

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• Second Life – What is the Hype? (17)
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I’m sure most of you have heard of Second Life (SL) before. In case you haven’t, let me give you a very short overview of what we’re talking about. Second Life is a 3D virtual world, entirely created by its inhabitants (residents). In SL you will find almost everything you know from your Real or First Life (RL), and more.

It works much like a game; you sign up for a basic (free) or premium account, install the software (viewer) on your computer, start to form your personal character, you can explore the world, interact with other residents, play your role within the game, create things, receive things other residents have created and so on.

Yes there is role playing within SL, yes there are games within SL, yes people have jobs in SL earning virtual money (Linden Dollars or L$), yes you can go shopping with your L$ and spend real money too, yes you can buy or rent land, yes people earn real money in SL, yes there is sex, yes there is crime, and yes everything else you heard may well be true.

Let me tell you that there is a lot less of all the bad stuff one might expect. During my time in SL (over two years) I was never harassed and witnessed merely a handful of serious griefings (terrorist attacks). Surprisingly, most people do behave quite well!

More questions are answered in the SL FAQ .

So what’s the hype?

It’s tough to give a specific explanation, but in general it’s probably the diversity of options that makes SL so attractive. People live out their dreams and fantasies, they detach from the real world and their RL issues, they unwind in a game that offers a niche for almost every shade of the human character. Many residents engage in RL topics, supporting real people with real issues. Yet others are in it for the money, forming SL businesses with which they earn RL cash. Some are in it for the free entertainment, they enjoy being creative, hunting down free stuff (freebies), playing the SL version of Bingo (Slingo) or other games, while chatting with fellow residents. Many love to hit the clubs, dance, mingle, participate in a contest, play trivia, and simply explore the beauty of a thousand worlds. Employers even conduct job interviews in SL. Ask a thousand different people and you will receive a thousand different views – a thousand people, a thousand worlds.

Why the heck a post about Second Life on Make Use Of?

As suggested before, SL offers a lot more than a role playing environment. It’s a haven for anonymous support groups, discussion rounds, as well as online education. There are regular meetings supporting cancer patients (survivors) and their relatives (caregivers), people with emotional issues, and alcoholics. Discussion groups cover everything from dream interpretation to zen practice to creative nonfiction or children’s poetry.

Education is one of the most progressive fields in SL. Many educational programmes focus on skills required inside SL, which is a great way to get started for new residents (newbies or noobs) or those wishing to start a business. But that’s not where it stops. The German Volkshochschule (adult education center) for example regularly offers free courses and guided tours through museums or rebuilds of national monuments. Lots of universities provide their students with lectures and seminars held inside SL (in-world). Publicly listed educational events range from English classes, via classes on Creation vs. Evolution, project management to Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Most but not all of these events are free. Most classes are free, however some charge a small fee, for example L$500 ($1.90 or €1.30) for a one hour English class.SL is a market for artists and talented people from all walks of life. There are singers, furniture designers, fashion designers, tattoo designers, painters, photographers, scripters, managers, sales people, estate agents, teachers, doctors, actors, journalists and more, and many of them make a RL living in a virtual world.

Taken together, there is a virtual world out there that has great potential for more than just having fun. It’s up to you and your imagination and if you need a little help stay tuned for insider tips & tricks that will show you how to get started and make use of a Second Life.

Second Life runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. I hear the Linux client isn’t very stable and there are various issues with graphics cards on all platforms. Please refer to the Second Life System Requirements, the Knowledge Base, and the Forums for details, help and support.

What is your experience with SL or other virtual worlds? Why do you love or detest these “games”? Please share with us in the comments!

(By) This post was written by one of our regular authors, Tina from Recommended.

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