14th September 2010, 3:53 PM
Can you dig it? OK, check this: some online games are free to play, but they trick you into wasting hundred of dollars buying pointless baubles that make your character look like a faerie princess or something. But some of them are actually pretty good! And some are really awful.
Here's some that I played:
Need for Speed World
It combines all the thrills of fast-paced NFS racing action with RPG grinding and F2P cash grabs. For a few bucks, your level can advance faster! Fun! But the game itself is actually pretty solid, if you're just interested in single player racing and the always-good pursuit mode. The graphics are pretty good too, almost as good as a retail title.
Definitely worth playing.
Lord of the Rings Online
Went F2P just within the past few days, so I decided to jump in and check it out. Basically, this is your go-to F2P MMO now. It's solidly built, focuses more on PvE and solo'ing, and just overall looks and feels like a real game. I haven't played as much of this as some of the others, but I've seen enough to know that this is some good stuff.
Definitely worth playing.
Dungeons & Dragons Online
This is Turbine's previous MMO before LOTRO, so you can expect a similar level of quality. It plays out in much of the same way as it successor and injects more story into the game than most other F2P games. With LOTRO F2P now, it's kind of hard to really recommend it though.
Worth playing.
Monster Forest
An anime-inspired frolic through bright colors and non-threatening situations. On the other hand, it's surprisingly fun and has a nice, detailed art style. It's also got turn-based combat, pet collecting, farming, and other little additions that manage to set it apart from the crowded pack. The real downside is that it's painfully easy, with leads to boredom after a while.
Might be worth playing.
Aika Online
A bit of a standard WoW knockoff with all your favorite fantasy tropes, but it does have nice, speedy combat and detailed characters. Story's pretty thin and it features a decent amount of grinding, but it's certainly not all bad. I've played it for a few hours and I have enjoyed it so far.
Worth playing.
Shaiya
WoW knockoff big time, might be an even worse offender in this regard than Aika Online, but that impression could come more from my disdain for the drab art style. Either way, it's a lot like Aika Online, but less fun. It's reasonably well built, but...
Might be worth playing.
Mabinogi
Another anime-inspired romp through non-threatening situations. It's a bit more deep in the skill system than Monster Forest and there's enough going on to make things interesting. But the combat is painfully slow and awkward and the dungeons are bland and lifeless.
Might be worth playing.
LaTale
A 2D side-scrolling MMO with cutesy anime visuals and lots and lots of costumes and hair to spend your hard earned American dollars on to fund Asian gold-farming sweatshops. You filthy traitor. It's kind of fun and the graphics are nice to look at, but the combat and movement feel slow and awkward, when they should be really fluid.
Might be worth playing [but you should probably just download Maple Story].
Ranking:
1. Lord of the Rings Online
2. Need for Speed World
3. Dungeons & Dragons Online
4. Aika Online
5. Monster Forest
6. Mabinogi
7. Shaiya
8. LaTale
All of these games are free to download and free to play [provided that you don't enter the game's official store].
Here's some that I played:
Need for Speed World
It combines all the thrills of fast-paced NFS racing action with RPG grinding and F2P cash grabs. For a few bucks, your level can advance faster! Fun! But the game itself is actually pretty solid, if you're just interested in single player racing and the always-good pursuit mode. The graphics are pretty good too, almost as good as a retail title.
Definitely worth playing.
Lord of the Rings Online
Went F2P just within the past few days, so I decided to jump in and check it out. Basically, this is your go-to F2P MMO now. It's solidly built, focuses more on PvE and solo'ing, and just overall looks and feels like a real game. I haven't played as much of this as some of the others, but I've seen enough to know that this is some good stuff.
Definitely worth playing.
Dungeons & Dragons Online
This is Turbine's previous MMO before LOTRO, so you can expect a similar level of quality. It plays out in much of the same way as it successor and injects more story into the game than most other F2P games. With LOTRO F2P now, it's kind of hard to really recommend it though.
Worth playing.
Monster Forest
An anime-inspired frolic through bright colors and non-threatening situations. On the other hand, it's surprisingly fun and has a nice, detailed art style. It's also got turn-based combat, pet collecting, farming, and other little additions that manage to set it apart from the crowded pack. The real downside is that it's painfully easy, with leads to boredom after a while.
Might be worth playing.
Aika Online
A bit of a standard WoW knockoff with all your favorite fantasy tropes, but it does have nice, speedy combat and detailed characters. Story's pretty thin and it features a decent amount of grinding, but it's certainly not all bad. I've played it for a few hours and I have enjoyed it so far.
Worth playing.
Shaiya
WoW knockoff big time, might be an even worse offender in this regard than Aika Online, but that impression could come more from my disdain for the drab art style. Either way, it's a lot like Aika Online, but less fun. It's reasonably well built, but...
Might be worth playing.
Mabinogi
Another anime-inspired romp through non-threatening situations. It's a bit more deep in the skill system than Monster Forest and there's enough going on to make things interesting. But the combat is painfully slow and awkward and the dungeons are bland and lifeless.
Might be worth playing.
LaTale
A 2D side-scrolling MMO with cutesy anime visuals and lots and lots of costumes and hair to spend your hard earned American dollars on to fund Asian gold-farming sweatshops. You filthy traitor. It's kind of fun and the graphics are nice to look at, but the combat and movement feel slow and awkward, when they should be really fluid.
Might be worth playing [but you should probably just download Maple Story].
Ranking:
1. Lord of the Rings Online
2. Need for Speed World
3. Dungeons & Dragons Online
4. Aika Online
5. Monster Forest
6. Mabinogi
7. Shaiya
8. LaTale
All of these games are free to download and free to play [provided that you don't enter the game's official store].
Sometimes you get the scorpion.