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.
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