Camon Hero Revived as CardMon Hero

Remember Camon Hero from Uforia? It’s a card based fantasy MMORPG that was supposed to begin open beta testing in early June 2010, but never did. Months went by with no word about when the game is actually going to launch or if it will ever launch. Then – out of the blue T3Fun announced that they would be launching Camon Hero World-wide as “Cardmon Hero”. Uforia left a lot of gamers upset when they completely abandoned Camon Hero back in June 2010. I’m actually not too surprised they pulled a stunt like this, as they’re not exactly well known for their class. Their Game Masters in Mercenary Wars and Red War (two games published by Uforia) are extremely unprofessional. I think the only playable MMORPG they have on their website is NosTale. Everything else they publish is trash. I think Mercenary Wars is actually the worst MMOFPS out there – much worse than Mission Against Terror from Suba Games. Anyway, I’m getting distracted (again). I’m just glad that Camon Hero isn’t dead and it’s actually going to release. The game’s closed beta began on November 9 or so, but there’s no word on when the open beta will begin yet.

CardMon Hero is one of the few card based MMORPGs out there. I think aside from CardMon Hero – the only other client based card game is Wizard101 – but that’s more of a kids MMORPG than CardMon. Plus it’s a turn based MMORPG, Cardmon is a bit more actiony. There are a few browser based MMOs with card mechanics – such as Urban Rivals, but those are completely different than Cardmon Hero. Cardmon Hero is a game that I think will appeal to a lot of people. It has low system requirements, fairly crisp anime inspired graphics, and a ton of unique skills. What I personally really like about EverQuest 2 from Sony Online Entertainment and The Lord of the Rings Online from Turbine is their unique skill systems. Cardmon Hero has a classless system where players have access to EVERY skill in the game. However, players can only equip skills if they’re using the appropriate weapon. Certain skills can only be equipped if you’re using a 2H sword, 1H sword, Staff, Etc. Skills in CardMon hero are in the form of cards. You don’t start with very many cards, so while you’re grinding and exploring, you’re also finding new cards, which are basically new skills. I think the only other MMORPGs without set classes are Uncharted Waters Online from Netmarble and Ultima Online from Electronic Arts.

I had a chance to play Cardmon Hero in its closed beta phase and I was quite impressed. The game has some 100+ skill cards and an equal amount of summon cards for a total of 200+ skills. The thing that makes the game really interesting is that each character has access to hundreds of skills. If you want to use some ranged attacks – simply equip a staff. If you want to use some melee AOE attacks simply equip a 2H sword. Your weapon type determines which skills you have access too, which is an incredible dynamic. Even though the game’s graphics aren’t nearly as pretty as Heroes of Three Kingdoms or Jade Dynasty, the game still offers a lot to do. It’s a game I’ll make sure to play in open beta.

Great 2D MMORPGs

What do you think the best 2D MMORPG is? I think it should be clear by now, based on all my other posts, that the best 2D free to play MMORPG is MapleStory from Nexon. Yeah, I’ve praised this game quite a bit, so I’m not going to praise it or WonderKing Online any more, as i’ve done enough of that in the past.. I’ll start talking about some other great 2D MMORPGs.

One of the most awesome 2D MMROPGs out there, that I haven’t really talked too much about in the past, is Trickster Online from Ntreev. I remember I used to play this game all the time back in the day, but ever since I upgraded my PC to Windows 7, I wasn’t able to play it anymore. I think they’re the only MMORPG that doesn’t work on Windows 7. Ntreev makes a lot of awesome anime inspired games. Their other MMORPG – Grand Chase is a lot of fun too. It’s a 2D side scrolling game, but plays nothing like MapleStory or WonderKing. Instead, it plays more like Dungeon Fighter Online. The game is linear and level based, but it’s fun and cooperative. Trickster Online is still one of my favorite games, even if I can’t play it anymore. If you’ve never given the game a chance, do yourself a favor and download it!

Another good 2D MMORPG that deserves some more attention is NosTale from Uforia. I honestly thing Uforia is one of the worst MMORPG publishers out there, but NosTale is a game that deserves some attention. If plays much like any other MMORPG, but it has a great community and a solid progression system. Leveling isn’t too slow and questing feels fun. There’s always enough quests to do, so you’re never out right grinding. If you’ve played Mercenary Wars, Camon Hero or Red War you can use the same account to access NosTale, as they’re all on the Uforia network!

Lastly, I wanted to bring up is Wonderland Online from IGG. Now IGG actually has a lot of 2D MMORPGs, but Wonderland Online is definitely the best game IGG offers. Altis Gates and Dreamland Online might be better, but I can’t say as those games still aren’t released. WonderLand Online is a neat 2D turn based MMORPG with a ginormous playerbase. It’s easily one of their most popular MMORPGs. Tales of Fantasy might be a bit more popular, but I never played it. If you like turn based MMORPGs and 2D games it’s worth checking out.

Did I miss any other excellent 2D games? If so, let me know in the comments!

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!