Avatar Customization

Know what every 2D MMORPG needs more of? Heck EVERY MMORPG needs more of? Character customization. In fact, I think every VIDEO game needs better character customization – but MMORPGs in particular, as unique avatars are much more important in MMOs than say a single player puzzle game. Why am I writing about this now all of a sudden? Well, I was playing Conquer Online the other day – a free 2D MMORPG from TQ Digital, and after creating my character and logging in, I saw so many doppelgangers of myself running around. The game has no appearance customization what-so-ever. Once you play the game for a while and reach late-gand, the equipment you wear can make your character look different, but the regular appearance customization in the game sucks. Now, Conquer Online isn’t the only game with this problem. MMORPG character customization across the entire spectrum tends to suck, except for a few exceptions. Perfect World, Vanguard and EverQuest II all have great customization. But most games don’t.

I don’t mind poor customization in MMOFPS games, as appearance customization is pointless in games like GunZ, S4 League and Soldier Front. But in actual MMORPGs, I feel that appearance and uniqueness are very important and should never be over looked. One of the reasons I quit playing Ether Saga Online is because of its lack of customization. I was pretty shocked to see Ether Saga have bad customization, as Perfect World had great customization, and both games are by the same company – Perfect World Entertainment. So what’s up? Either the developers got lazy or they figured no one would notice. Grand Chase is another example of a top notch game that would benefit from better customization.

I’m really curious why so many games have such limited appearance customization? How difficult could it be to program a thousands different hair colors and hair styles into the character creation system? Or how about a thousand different shirt colors and a few hundred body options. In the grand scheme of things, it can’t be that expensive. Look at games like Runes of Magic and Allods Online – both are big budget games that took over $5 million to develop, but both have decent appearance customization at best. If you’re going to spend $5+ million making a game, why not spend a tiny bit more and make it perfect? Both of these MMORPGs are great, but they could be better. Unfortunately, I could say the same for most games, as appearance customization in the free to play space, as is, is disappointing.

Hero:108 Online is an interesting MMORPG

Ever heard of Hero: 108? No, I’m not talking about the TV show on Cartoon Network. I’m talking about Hero:108 Online – the free to play cartoony brawler MMORPG available on the PC. The one published by BeanFun based off of the popular cartoon network TV show. It’s awesome to see bigger western companies like Cartoon Network actually start taking the free to play scene more seriously. I mean, Cartoon Network has been pretty awesome about free to play, as their last game, which originally launched as a free trial browser game – FusionFall, is now a totally free to play game. What I mean to say is, it used to have a subscription, but doesn’t any more. FusionFall is a gorgeous game too. Even though it’s a browser game it has much better graphics than client based games like Fantasy Earth Zero from GamePot USA and HolyBeast Online from CyberStep. It’s pretty incredible to see such an advanced browser based game.

I downloaded and started playing Hero:108 Online yesterday, and probably the best way to explain it is Lost Saga meets Rumble Fighter which meets CosmicBreak. Yeah, it’s confusing, I know, but the game itself is fun. Why is it fun? Because it’s pure lighthearted random action. The actual combat mechanics are a bit awkward, but once you get used to it things start to get more fun. Much like other anime MMORPGs, the game’s story doesn’t make much sense. Then again, the actual Hero:108 story itself doesn’t make much sense either. Apparently all the animals have gone crazy and are attacking everyone. Yeah. It’s silly, but the game is fun because it can be played entirely on the keyboard. It doesn’t play exactly like Soul Master (Gameplay wise), but it’s similar.

One reason I continue to play Hero:108 is to show western MMORPG developers that free to play works. If BeanFun and Cartoon Network make good money on this game, I suspect they’ll launch more and more free to play MMORPGs based off of popular Cartoon Network shows! I think it’s awesome that Turbine is making The Lord of the Rings Online free to play. Electronic Arts already launched Lord of Ultima, Battlefield Heroes, Battleforge, FIFA Online and Need for Speed World Online. EA has been ON THE BALL with free to play, which is awesome for the gaming community. The one big problem with free to play right now is that not enough people know about these free games. I mean, why pay for second rate pay to play MMORPGs like Age of Conan from Funcom when you could play something equally as good for free?

I’m getting a bit off topic here, but I think Hero:108 launching as a free to play game is good for the entire industry. If you haven’t played it, give it a chance. It’s combat system is fun.

WonderKing or Dragonica Online?

There are a bunch of awesome side scrolling MMORPGs out there, but the best ones include MapleStory, WonderKing Online and Dragonica Online. There are a few more, but they really aren’t worth mentioning. I’ve played MapleStory from Nexon to death, as I’ve leveled like 10 characters to 40 by now, so I’m a bit tired of it. Both WonderKing and Dragonica Online though are still new territory to me. I mean, I’ve played them both for a while, but not nearly as long as I played MapleStory. When you play one game for so long, you get a bit sick of it, even if it’s a great game.

WonderKing is by Ndoors and it was released in 2009 to compete with MapleStory. It is being published by Ndoors, the company who developed Atlantica Online, but I’m not entirely sure if WonderKing was developed by Ndoors or not. In fact, I’m pretty sure WonderKing has been available n South Korea for many years and only came to the U.S. Recently. Why Ndoors waited so long to localize such a great game like WonderKing is beyond me. Luckily, we gamers in the U.S. Don’t need to wait years to play Vindictus. Nexon is localizing it pretty fast! Nexon has actually been pretty good with localizing their games. Mabinogi and Combat Arms came out in the U.S. Pretty fast. Anyway, WonderKing is a lot like MapleStory in terms of graphics and gameplay, except a bit sharper, visually. There aren’t as many playable classes in it, and that’s my biggest complaint. The number of playable classes in an MMORPG is very important. MapleStory has like 20+ playable classes. Like MapleStory, WonderKing is a 2D MMORPG.

Dragonica Online, although a side scrolling MMORPG, is significantly different than MapleStory and WonderKing. It’s actually a 3D MMORPG, and the first 3D side scrolling MMORPG I’ve ever played. Visually, it’s not as “cute” / “cartoony”, but it still has anime inspired graphics. It looks and feels a bit more mature and the controls are responsive. It’s more of an action MMORPG as well, because players have to get combos to do optimal damage. It also has a lot of quests, so you never need to out right grind. Much of the fighting in it takes place in instanced dungeons rather than in a persistent world, so it’s a bit original in that department as well. Like Dungeons and Dragons Online from Turbine, players can play each dungeon in Dragonica in 3 different difficulty settings. This leads to players sort of being forced to play each dungeon multiple times, which can get boring. In terms of character customization, Dragonica Online has a slight edge, but in terms of variety, WonderKing wins. Dragonica has so few playable classes, which is a big down side to it. On the positive side, with only a handful of classes, the classes are balanced.

So which game is better? Sorry. I can’t say. Both are top notch fantasy MMORPGs that are worth checking out. You should download both and give them each a try.

2D MMORPGs Are Here to Stay

With the launch of Fists of Fu from Outspark and ever growing playerbase in established 2D MMORPGs like MapleStory and WonderKing I think it’s safe to say that 2D is here to stay. Most newer games nowdays have pretty 3D graphics, but 2D games are still growing incredibly fast – especially the browser based ones. Even though there aren’t too many new client based games, there are new 2D browser based MMORPGs being released regularly. ZOMG from Gaia Interactive for example, is a fast growing 2D MMORPG from the same guys behind Gaia Online. The beauty of zOMG, aside from its name, is that it’s actually a fully fledged game. Not some cheap turn based nonsense. It’s set in a large persistent world, which is pretty rare for browser based MMOs.

Another really awesome new 2D MMORPG is Neverland Online from HiThere. HiThere is a Chinese company most well known for their strategy MMORPG Empire Craft. They also make Age of Ocean though. Neverland Online is a neat turn based MMORPG with 2D graphics that closely resemble that of Zodiac Online and Destiny Online. Two other turn based MMORPGs with anime inspired graphics. I still find it mind boggling that web browsers can support full 2D graphics without any lag. With such awesome technology, I see no reason to download my games, when you can play them on the browser.

I’m sort of looking forward to Altis Gates from IGG, but it was recently delayed “indefinitely”. Luckily, IGG has clarified that “indefinitely” does not mean forever. They still intend on releasing the game, just at a later date. If you’re into turn based games, there’s really no reason not to try it, as graphically, it looks a lot better than Myth War 2 Online and Wonderland Online, two other 2D turn based MMORPGs.

On the fighting MMO front, Netmarble has had some success with Mini Fighter Online – the chibi street fighter style game. I actually really like Mini Fighter Online, as it’s a fun distraction from regular MMORPGs. It’s the only street fighter style MMO. It’s actually pretty competitive, but what’s really neat about it is that it also has an MMORPG component to it. There’s a lobby based PvP area and an actual persistent world. I feel that with everything that’s going on, it’s fair to say that 2D is here to stay.

2D Browser Based Games

Most of my posts have been dedicated to 2D MMORPGs that can be downloaded, but there are a whole bunch of awesome 2D MMOs that are on the browser. Games like AdventureQuest and AdventureQuest Worlds are two simple examples, but there are many more. I’m surprised the web browser isn’t a more popular platform for MMO gaming, as titles like Quake Live and FusionFall have proven that web browsers can be powerful enough to run 3D games. Quake Live for example is a port of the popular Quake 3: Arena FPS game to the web browser. It’s completely free to play and has great graphics. It puts flash games to shame, as it runs full 3D with fast paced gameplay. FusionFall from Cartoon Network also shows that browsers are a solid platform for MMO gaming, as FusionFall is a hugely in depth game with gorgeous graphics. Heck it has better graphics than older 3D client based games like Hero Online, Cabal Online and Azuga: Age of Chaos.

So what are some great browser based 2D MMORPGs? One of my favorites is zOMG from Gaia Interactive – the same company who made Gaia Online. I like zOMG because its one of the few actual browser based MMORPGs that competes with client based games. It plays a bit like Neverland Online, except with crisper graphics and a much more in depth game world. I say in depth, because it was developed by a great Western studio. I say great Western Studio only because Gaia Online is ridiculously popular. One cool feature in zOMG is that players can use their avatars from Gaia Online in zOMG, so there’s lots of appearance customization. MMORPG character customization tends to suck, so seeing a browser MMORPG with good customization is always neat. There are a few good action games like Dark Orbit, Deepolis and SeaFight from BigPoint, but these aren’t exactly MMORPGs, so I’m going to skip over them for now.

Fallen Sword is another decent 2D browser based MMORPG as is Pet Forest. Pet Forest from PlayOMG is actually one of the few incredibly in depth browser based MMORPGs. Most games on the browser right now are strategy games like Evony or social games like Woozworld or OurWorld, but Pet Forect is different because, like zOMG, it plays like an actual client based game, except with one difference. It runs on a browser. PetPet Park and ShadowTale are also neat games, but both lack a large playerbase. That’s it for this list though. Check out some of these awesome non-download MMOs!

Another Delay for Camon Hero – When is it Coming Out?

This post will be a little different than usual, because I’m going to talk about an upcoming MMORPG from Uforia called Camon Hero. The game isn’t exactly 2D, but it has great anime MMORPG style graphics. I actually really like the game’s artstyle, but what I look most about it is its original gameplay, as the game mixes standard fantasy MMORPG action with trading card game elements. Most people think “Oh crap. Card based gameplay? It must be slow paced like Wizard101 and Urban Rivals”, but that isn’t the case. In fact, Camon Hero plays more like GhostX and Dragonica Online than anything else. So let me say this just once. Camon Hero isn’t slow paced.

I’ve actually been itching to play Camon Hero for quite a while now. Since the game was first announced actually. But I won’t get a chance to sink my teeth into it for a while, as the game was scheduled to launch its open beta on June 8, 2010 but the game’s publisher – Uforia delayed the open beta indefinitely. It’s now July 9, 2010 as I write this and still no Open beta, not even an announcement of when open beta will begin. This isn’t too surprising though, as I’ve been let down by Uforia on more than one occasion. Red War looked like a promising game, as it was supposed to be inspired by Diablo 2, but it was terrible. I thought Mercenary Wars would be fun, because I generally love MMOFPS games, but I couldn’t stand playing it for more than an hour. NosTale is an alright game, but it’s published globally as well as in the U.S. (through Uforia), and I’d rather play the global version.

I absolutely hate it when MMOs get delayed indefinitely because it makes me think that they’re never going to come out. I guess I think this way because games like Parabellum from GamersFirst and Huxley: The Dystopia from ijji have been delayed numerous times and show no sign of ever reaching commercial release. Nowadays, if an MMORPG an make it to the open beta phase, it pretty much means it’s going to release. So seeing a game in perpetual closed beta is a bad sign.

Hopefully Uforia will get their act together and do a better job of informing their community on the status of Camon Hero. It sucks that they’re so hush-hush about things. If there’s a problem with the developer or the license, they should at least tell their players. Uforia really can’t do much though, as they’re only publishing the game, not developing it. I sort of like Perfect World Entertainment as a company because they self publish all of their games. They can actually listen to play feedback and implement it in their games. I know they added WSAD controls to Battle of the Immortals because players asked for it. Anyway. Time to keep waiting!

Lost Saga MMO Has Awesome Graphics

Lost Saga, a fighting MMO from OGPlanet, has some really awesome anime inspired graphics. The graphics are actually a mix of Western and Eastern animations, as they blend graphics from games like Cloud Nine from Netgame and Team Fortress 2 from Valve. I’m surprised other new MMORPGs don’t opt for “easy on the eyes” style cartoony graphics, as in my opinion games with brightly colored anime graphics are the best. At least in terms of graphics. I loved the visuals in Battlefield Heroes, Bright Shadow and even Luna Online. One of the main benefits of cartoony graphics is low system requirements. Brand spankin’ new MMORPGs like Martial Heroes and Vindictus look great, but not everyone can play them due to the high system requirements. I figure games like Mabinogi and Secret of the Solstice are popular because they’re easily accessible. Shiny new graphics aren’t always the best, as they require most expensive graphics cards to run.

I think newer games need to start looking closely at games like Lost Saga for inspiration. Lost Saga seems to be the most popular fighting MMO out there and even found its way into the World Cyber Games tournaments. The game is more popular than Mini Fighter Online from Netmarble and Rumble Fighter from OGPlanet. The other reason why Lost Saga is rockin is because of its incredible amount of variety. The game has like 20+ playable characters which can all be leveled up individually. Players can switch between them mid game as well, so if you ever get bored of playing one “class” you can simply switch! Some new games like Heroes in the Sky also have excellent variety, but other newer titles seem to forget that gamers WANT variety. Variety and choice in my opinion is what makes Lost Saga so fun. Gameplay of course is important too.

Seriously though. I appreciate pretty 3D graphics as much as the next guy, but I sometimes think that better graphics do more harm than good. The most popular free MMORPGs today are the simplest ones. Games like RuneScape and Dungeon Fighter Online for example have simple graphics that most computers can run without lag. 3D MMORPGs on the other hand tend to be less accessible all around, at least the newer ones. So MMO Developers. I urge you guys to take a page from Lost Saga’s book and focus on making your games more fun and varied rather than “pretty”.