MMOs That are Aging Well

As new free to play MMORPGs like Vindictus, Kitsu Saga and Iris Online launch, older games like Shaiya, Last Chaos and MapleStory are starting to show their age. If you compare Shaiya or Last Chaos from Aeria Games to any of the newer titles out – you’ll quickly realize that Shaiya and Last Chaos aren’t aging too well – in terms of graphics that is. The fascinating thing however is that both Shaiya and Last Chaos are still around and being updated. The same goes for MapleStory. In fact, MapleStory is over 5 years old, yet it’s still growing incredibly fast. It’s still one of the most popular free MMORPGs ever – with over 100 million accounts world-wide. Even Rappelz and Fly For Fun from gPotato are still around and growing. It may sound surprising, but Fly For Fun is actually more popular than both Allods Online and Aika at the moment, and it’s over 5 years old. How can a 5+ year old game with lousy graphics be more popular than a game like Allods which cost over $10 million to develop is fascinating. It shows that older MMOs can age well. Another example of an older MMORPG that has aged well is RuneScape from Jagex and Tribal Wars from InnoGames. Browser games tend to age really well, mostly because visuals on browser games haven’t improved too drastically over the years – though Unity wants to change all of that now.

I think the reason some older MMORPGs are still a big success is that graphics aren’t the most important thing in the world. Users are clearly looking at things like gameplay and content when deciding which game to play, and older MMORPGs like Hero Online, Silkroad online and Grand Chase have more content than newer games, as they’ve been around for a longer time – meaning, they had more time to add content, instances and characters to their games. Obviously newer MMORPGs like Fists of Fu, Uncharted Waters Online and Dungeons and Dragons Online have numerous advantages too, but people are clearly more interested in gameplay and content than visuals. Having good visuals certainly helps, as I think so many people became fascinated with Vindictus because of its graphics. The game has solid gameplay mechanics too, but its beautiful graphics are what pulled in users while the gameplay kept them hooked. This theory applies to FPS games too. Just look at Cross Fire from Z8Games – it’s HUGELY popular, even though Cross Fire isn’t exactly a new game. In fact, Alliance of Valiant Arms has 10x better graphics, but it has a smaller playerbase.

Are there any older MMOs you still play? I personally still MapleStory and GunZ, even though they’re both old games with less than stellar graphics. I’m also more interested in gameplay elements than visuals. Because if I wanted “good graphics” I’d watch a movie. When I’m playing an MMO or an MMORPG, I want fun gameplay. Visuals help, but in the end gameplay is what matters.

Nanovor MMO Evolves Thanks to Unity

When Nanovor first launched, it wasn’t a very exciting game. Players had to download the nearly 500 mb client and battle using bug-like creatures in a mostly 2D arena. Worse still, the background was solid black. No color, no flavor, and certainly not much depth. Even at that time I was asking myself, “couldn’t this have been done on a browser?”

Well it looks like the answer was ‘yes!’ Smith and Tinker, the development studio behind Nanovor, has recently launched a brand new version of the game called Nanovor Evolution. The new version has replaced the old one, meaning there’s no going back. This has upset a small pocket of veterans, but it was a logical step in taking the game forward. Nanovor Evolution was designed using Unity, a powerful yet easy to use game development tool. Now, Nanovor only requires a tiny browser plugin rather than a huge client. Better still, the graphics and gameplay have been vastly improved. The character designs, background, and environments are now fully three dimensional. The game can now compete directly with other turn based MMORPGs and pet themed MMORPGs like Bakugan Dimensions.

Nanovor Evolution is only the latest in a series of free to play browser based MMOs and MMORPGs to utilize Unity. Cartoon Network’s FusionFall was perhaps the first major MMORPG to use Unity and it has better visuals and more high quality content than most client based MMORPGs! Games like Nanovor Evolutions have superior graphics than client based MMORPGs like Hero Online from Netgame and Dragon Oath / Zentia from ChangYou. There’s also Tiger Woods Online by Electronic Arts. That’s a major video game publisher throwing its weight behind Unity. The game has beautiful golf courses, and can be played in short bursts thanks to the auto-save feature which remembers player progression through a course. Silverlode Interactive, the studio behind the MMORTS Saga also has a Unity based browser game. It’s called Captains of DarkTide and is set at sea. Players can command a variety of ships, visit distant ports, and fire broadsides against one another.

Unity is not just a browser game tool, it can be used to create large single player games as well. But for a variety of reasons, I believe it will generally be put to use to create browser games that look and play as well as traditional client games. When more and more studios discover the versatility of the tool, they will flock to it. How long till social MMORPGs and facebook games use Unity? The developers of Nanovor Evolution already have several job listing on their site for Unity developers. Expect other companies to follow.

Pay to Play Games that Need to be Free to Play

There are a bunch of pay to play games that should no longer be pay to play. Older MMORPGs like Dark Ages and Nexus: The Kingdom of the Winds come to mind. Both of these MMORPGs are incredibly old (7+ years old) and are 2D games. With games like Dungeons and Dragons Online and The Lord of the Rings Online going free to play, there’s no reason for these games not to follow suit. Even EverQuest II From Sony Online Entertainment re-launched as a free to play game! So with these awesome 3D MMORPGs becoming free to play, what the heck are incredibly old games like Nexus and Dark Ages doing? Heck Shattered Galaxy and Poxnora should be free to play to. Neither of these games are exactly thriving. The playerbase for these games are all in steady-decline.

If Dark Age of Camelot, Dofus or Warhammer Online went free to play – I’d be playing them right now. They’re all incredible games, just not worth the subscription fee. I mean, why Pay for these three mediocre pay to play games when I could be playing WoW or a triple-a free to play MMORPG like Runes of Magic, Fiesta Online or Vindictus. There are a ton of free to play alternatives for pay to play games, so it’s very difficult for pay to play games that aren’t WoW to compete. I remember logging into the MMO free trial for Pirates of the Burning Sea and I was shocked to see the game completely empty. I know the title launched with a bang, but the playerbase has declined significantly since the game launched.

So why should these older MMORPGs go free to play? Simple. It could revive them. Dungeons and Dragons was ready to shut down as a pay to play game, but as soon as it became free to play, the game became a HUGE success. I mean, HUGE. It’s definitely one of the more successful free to play game soul. Other pay to play MMORPGs like Archlord and RF Online from Webzen did not have the same success. I think that’s because they weren’t as “high quality” as Dungeons and Dragons Online. I’d love to see Warhammer Online or Age of Conan go free to play as these games are really high quality and could be very successful. I actually really want to play Nexus: The Kingdom of the winds again, but I don’t want to pay for it. It’s one of the first 2D MMORPGs I’ve ever played and I really liked it for some odd reason.

Any pay to play MMORPGs you would play if it were free to play?

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!

Outspark's Fists of Fu MMORPG Coming Soon!

Fists of Fu from Outspark is coming soon! According to the latest news from Outspark, Fists of Fu is going into closed beta sometime during the last week of June. I actually look forward to giving the game a try, as I’m a fan of both Fiesta Online and Secret of the Solstice – two other Outspark games. In case you haven’t heard of Fists of Fu, the game has anime inspired graphics, but unlike Grand Fantasia from Aeria Games, the visuals in Fists of Fu look a bit more Western than other anime MMORPGs.

Gameplay wise, Fists of Fu is supposed to play like Dragonica Online. I actually really liked Dragonica Online, as the action oriented gameplay was a breath of fresh air to the genre. Obviously Dragonica wasn’t the first action MMORPG, but it was a top notch one. I actually think that Outspark is taking a good direction with the game. Fists of Fu is going to be their first action MMORPG, with Divine Souls being their second one. I think its safe to say that a lot of upcoming MMORPGs will be action oriented. After all, some of the most anticipated games, think Vindictus and Dragon Nest from Nexon, are action MMORPGs. Vindictus is for some odd reason especially hyped up. I mean the 3D graphics look great, but no one really knows anything about the game, and yet most people talk about the game on forums and comments as if its the best thing since sliced bread. I can safely say its one of the most hyped up free MMORPGs ever. Will it live up to that hype? Time will tell.

Outspark on the other hand seems to still be focusing on cartoony / anime inspired games. Their most popular game today is still Fiesta Online, and with good reason. It’s a 3D anime inspired game with cool cel-shading graphics. They have a 2D side scrolling MMORPG called Wind Slayer out right now as well, but it’s not that popular. They also have Project Powder, a racing MMO, which isn’t too popular either. I really hope Fists of Fu lives up to my expectations. I don’t think it’s going to be that amazing, but it looks interesting. I like the fact that its lighthearted and a bid comedic. After all, games shouldn’t try to be too serious anyway. Especially cartoony ones.

Anyone else looking forward to playing Fists of Fu? If not Fists of Fu, what games does everyone else want to play? Any cool upcoming games that I should know about? Anyone know any good social games? Let me know!

So Many Old 2D MMORPGs.

Just look at all the free to play 2D MMORPGs out there. Most of them are really old games. There really hasn’t been any new 2D MMORPGs released since Ndoors put out WonderKing 6 months ago or so. Sadly, the most popular 2D MMOs are really old games like Mir 2 and the Legend of Mir 3. Plus, other old games like Magic World Online from EnjoyMMO and The Warlords from TQ Digital are still popular. There’s nothing particularly wrong with these old MMORPGs, it’s just that I’m upset that there hasn’t been any NEW 2D MMORPGs. It seems like game developers these days are focusing their efforts on 3D games. I really don’t know why they’re doing this either, as some of the most successful free to play MMORPGs are 2D games. Most notably, MapleStory from Nexon which is wildly profitable. Nexon also has Dungeon Fighter Online which I’m sure makes them a lot of money.

MapleStory actually has over 100 million registered users world wide, making it one of the most popular free MMORPGs ever. Obviously not all of these people are active users, but still. 100 million is a dang big number. Aside from MapleStory, the only other REALLY mega popular free to play MMORPG is probably RuneScape. Even though RuneScape isn’t 2D, the game has very low end graphics, which makes me question why so many MMO developers are focusing their efforts on good looking 3D Games. I mean, 3D MMORPGs like Vindictus and Loong: The Power of the Dragon look great, but MapleStory and RuneScape prove that you don’t need good graphics to be successful. Heck, having pretty graphics only hurts a game, as not everyone has high end PCs to even be able to play some 3D MMORPGs. Plus, 3D MMORPGs tend to be much larger in filesize as well, so downloading a good looking 3D game can take a very long time on a slow connection.

What’s the point of this rant? Simple. I’m tired of super old 2D MMOs like Navyfield and Shadow of Legend. I want game developers to put out some NEW 2D MMORPGs. I imagine newer 2D games will have sleeker and more awesome graphics.

Back to MapleStory

Just the other day I started playing MapleStory again. Yeah, it’s the immensely popular side scrolling MMORPG from Nexon. It’s a game that I’ve been playing on and off for years. I always break away from the game to try something different, but I always end up coming right back to MapleStory. I remember I was really into WonderKing from Ndoors for a while, as it looked and played a lot like MS. I also tried playing LaTale from OG Planet, but alas these games couldn’t hold my attention long. I mean, I liked the PvP in LaTale, but MapleStory just had more content. Plus, I really wanted to try the new Dragon Tamer Evan class in MapleStory, which was added to the game pretty recently.

I’ve only been playing for a day or so and my character is already level 17. I’m surprised how fast I’m leveling because Dragon Tamers are supposed to level “slowly” according to the character creation screen, just like Arans. My last character was a Thunderbreaker and I got to level 38 with him in a week or so. People often complain about the slow “grind” in MapleStory, but over the last 2 years Nexon really sped things up. There’s really no more “grinding” either, as players advance by completing quests. Questing is actually significantly faster than just plain ol grinding.

Before I went back to MapleStory, I actually tried a few high profile 3D MMORPGs including Kingdom Heroes, Grand Fantasia, Dungeons and Dragons Online and Fiesta Online. Unfortunately none of them could hold my attention the way MapleStory can. I think I’m addicted. How is it that Nexon can make such an awesome game but other MMORPG developers can’t? I Guess it’s the simplicity of MapleStory that keeps me coming back. Plus the huge playerbase is nice as well. Anyway guys, I’m going back to Mapling

The Only 3D MMORPGs I like Are Anime Themed

For some reason the only 3D graphics I like in MMORPGs are either cute themed or anime inspired. I guess I have a thing for bright cheerful games. I still like 2D graphics the best, but after that I prefer anime inspired graphics. Games like Bright Shadow and Cloud Nine have gorgeous graphics. I really like the ’sleek’ and beautifully rendered anime graphics in these games. More so than the actual gameplay, which is pretty sad. I also feel the same way about Fiesta Online, the most popular MMORPG that Outspark publishes. The cel-shaded anime graphics are really high quality and visually appealing.

Aside from regular anime MMORPGs, I also really like cute MMORPGs for some reason. Cute MMORPGs are usually super bright and chibi, which in my book is instant win. Ether Saga Online and Luna Online are examples of great cute MMORPGs. I actually play both of these games regularly. Even though I like these kinds of games though, I still prefer GOOD 2D graphics over anything in the 3D department. What’s interesting though, is that I don’t even watch anime or read manga, but I still like anime style graphics in my MMOs. How weird is that?

At the moment I’m downloading a new anime inspired MMORPG – Emil Chronicle Online. It’s not exactly new, but it’s new to me, as I’ve never played it before. If you guys want to catch me in game, my name will be xAnimaaa! From what I've read about the game, it's supposed to be a lot like Ragnarok Online. The game is, after all, also published by Gravity. Gravity publishes both Ragnarok Online and Requiem: Memento Mori

zOMG! And 2D Browser MMROPGs

Browser MMORPGs as a whole aren’t too popular. The only really popular one is Runescape, but that’s not exactly 2D, it’s more 3D. One fun browser MMO I ran into the other day is zOMG! And it’s published by the same dudes behind Gaia Online. The game is also set in the same Gaia universe, but unlike the social MMORPG Gaia Online, zOMG! Has a stronger emphasis on actual MMORPG style gameplay – kill enemies and level up. Unfortunately, most browser based games nowadays are generic strategy MMORPGs like Empire Craft and Lords Online where you build up an empire and battle it out. Not that these games aren’t fun, but I’m just not a fan of them.

Come to think of it, aside from zOMG! There are very few 2D browser based MMORPGs. I mean there are games like MechQuest and AdventureQuest, but these are more single player games than anything else, as there’s minimal interaction between players. The only other real 2D browser MMORPG I can think of is Adventure Quest Worlds, which is actually an awesome game. I don’t count games like Tanoth and Gladiatus, as those games use still images rather than actual graphics. Those games aside, zOMG! And Adventure Quest Worlds are the only real 2D browser MMORPGs.

I suspect this will change in the coming years, as browser based games are getting big. Not just the strategy ones either. Big download sizes in client based games like Runes of Magic and Dungeons and Ether Saga Online are turning a lot of users away from those games. And who can blame them? I don’t want to wait 20 hours to download Runes of Magic. That game is like 6GB big and that’s like 5% of my entire hard drive. Browser games make more sense as they don’t usually require any downloads. 2D MMORPGs are good too, because they tend to be small installs.

Anyone else mad that there are so few 2D browser MMORPGs? I know I am :(.

Mini Fighter Online is Great

Anyone here ever play a fighting MMO called Mini Fighter Online? If you haven’t, you definitely should. It’s a really interesting fighting game that knocks the socks off of Rumble Fighter and GetAmped 2. Heck, the only other fighting MMO that stands a chance in comparison is Lost Saga, which is neat because of its variety.

Mini Fighter Online plays a lot like Street Fighter, but instead has chibi anime inspired characters. The cool thing about Mini Fighter is that aside from its PvP MMO elements where you square off against other players via Street Fighter style combat, you can also explore the persistent world MMORPG aspect of the game. So it’s an MMORPG and an MMO at once. I don’t think very many games do that. What I’m trying to say is that you can play straight up Street Fighter style gameplay against others across various games modes or you can leave the PvP area and fight enemies outside of town, like you would in any fantasy MMORPG.

The game is published by Netmarble, the Korean MMORPG giant. They actually just launched their global portal recently and plan to bring over Koongya Adventure, Oz Chronicle, Wego, Ys Online and Prius Online over to the North American audience. I’m actually looking forward to all of these games, as Mini Fighter Online is that awesome. I like it more because its unique than anything else. The mechanics are good, but the uniqueness makes it awesome.

Woot! Digimon Battle is Awesome

I finally got around to downloading Digimon Battle and I have to say I really like it. I think I like it more because I’m sucker for Digimon and turn based games, than the game’s actual merits, but I think its worth checking. The only real issue most people will have with the game is its graphics. It is a 2D MMORPG, but the 2D graphics aren’t modern or ’sleek’ the way they are in newer MMOs like LaTale or Battle of Destiny. If you can look past the graphics though, Digimon Battle is a pretty solid pet raising game. Even though you start off with a single Digimon, you can easily catch more at anytime. The way the game is designed is that players can catch pretty much any Digimon they bump into. One thing that sucks is that the Korean version of the game is much, much further ahead in terms of development. Digimon Battle has been available in South Korea for over 8 years now and came to North America sometime in March 2010. So the game only has 50 or so Digimon in the entire game, vs the some 500+ Digimon in existence.

The company behind Digimon Battle, Wemade, also developers a few other MMORPGs. Interestingly, they are almost all 2D (Yay for 2D!). The other games WeMade develops are Avalon Heroes, Mir 2, and The Legend of Mir 3. If you’re a fan of either Digimon or Pokemon, Digimon Battle is certainly worth the download. Combat is also simple enough that younger gamers can learn the ropes rather easily. Everything is turn based and things start off really easy. In fact, the game never gets too challenging, but the real thrill behind it is trying to build the perfect ‘team’. The perfect lineup of Digimon. Players can field up to three Digimon at once, so there’s room for a lot of variety.

I’ll likely be playing the game for a while, provided that WeMade adds more content to the game. I’ve only been playing for a few days and I’ve already almost maxed out. I’m starting to think that they should have developed the game a bit more before releasing it. Anyone else here play Digimon Battle? If so, leave your username in the comments!

Good Graphics are Over Rated. It's all about Gameplay

I’ve been an MMORPG gamer since the days of Ultima Online in 1999. For me, a good game has nothing to do with graphics, but rather gameplay and gameplay alone. Since I grew up with older largely 2D games, pretty graphics don’t really mean that much to me. I’ve also been a big fan of RPGs since I first played Chrono Trigger when I was younger, so I have an affinity towards turn based MMORPGs. Unfortunately for me though, the only turn based MMORPGs these days that are 2D tend to have lame gameplay. IGG has two big turn based fantasy MMORPGs – Myth War 2 Online and Wonderland Online. Neither are terrible, but neither are exceptional either. In fact, the only good looking 2D turn based MMORPG is Altis Gates, and that isn’t even out yet.

A few weeks ago I downloaded a game called Tales of Fantasy from IGG. It’s their newest game has boasts some impressive graphics. I downloaded it and logged in and play for a few hours. Aside from the pretty animations and environments, I was far from impressed. In fact, I couldn’t even play it for more than a few hours as combat felt stale and moving around from point A to Point B just took too long. I’m not saying all 3D games are over rated, I’m just saying good graphics are over rated. The most important aspect of a game is its gameplay mechanics. If a game isn’t fun, it doesn’t matter how awesome or realistic the graphics are. One of the few 3D MMORPGs I really like is Atlantica Online, but I like that game because of its solid gameplay mechanics, not its visuals. The company behind Atlantica was actually purchased by one of my favorite MMO developers last week – Nexon. For those that don’t know, Nexon publishes MapleStory, Mabinogi, Combat Arms and Dungeon Fighter Online. The last one, Dungeon Fighter Online, being my favorite MMORPG of all time. That’s a story for another day though.

What do you think? 3D vs 2D? Are graphics in MMORPGs important or no? Let me know in the comments below!