"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> hole in the wall
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Trickster Online! Cutesy anime style MMORPG! Omfgwtflmao it roxxor! lolz

Hehe since December I've been checking out free new MMORPGs at mmorpg.com and this one stood out the best. Aside from the gorgeous, vibrant, not to mention cute, anime graphics, its fun and surprisingly deep gameplay pushes it on top of the list. My list, at least. Don't let its 2D SNES-era look fool you, there's a lot hidden beneath all that eye candy (literally) that the other 3D RPGs just lack. Check it out! lolz

Yes it's very similar to Ragnarok Online but that game is almost dead (well until RO 2 comes out) having been drained and drained of all content. And it's pay to play (P2P).

Games tried so far:

Last Chaos
Beauty: Awesome 3D visuals for low system requirements. Huge free to roam maps and tactics oriented PvP. Beast: The boring and excruciating grinding. Takes so long to level up that your ass and fingers will be numb playing for hours just to feel some sort of progress. No customization - only 5 classes with fixed genders and no other look-modifying elements aside from equipment glow. Gorgon: What killed my interest in it is the lag. Though it runs on minimal system requirements, you need better hardware than what is recommended to enjoy everything it has to offer. Lag + grinding = frustration - fun.

Ran Online
Beauty: Awesome 3D visuals for low system requirements. Very appealing for its schoolboy/girl basagulero theme. Cool-looking and combo-able skills. Best PvP I've encountered yet - mano y mano and whole party duels right on the streets. 4 character types with 3 specializations each. Beast: You'll always need a party to level up faster than a turtle. In fact, it is absolutely imperative that you only play if you have a party because by the intermediate levels, you won't be able to solo anything reasonably. Gorgon: E-games is out to milk as much money out of its gamers as possible. They tempt with all these premium items, right, but leave the non-PK server down so that players are forced into the PK ones, where high level players are stalking for easy kills. And then there are the players. Puro angasan at yabangan. No wonder it's such a huge hit here; it plays right into Pinoy localistic gang/tropa culture, e.g. frats. Daragan at bugbugan sa kalye. While it makes for a very competitive atmosphere, the hostile outlook is really doing its players no good.

Hero Online
Beauty: The quest system tells a story, which is really good for an MMO. Players are allowed to have a variety of pets, some of which can be ridden. The scenery is full of detail anywhere, and doesn't feel blank or repetitive. Beast: Loading times when moving between maps take a long while, which is a concern because the quests are done in different maps. The grind is bad, about as bad as LC. Gorgon: Bots, bots and more bots. They ruin your leveling and is just outright unfair for non-cheaters. What's more is that the GMs seem to do nothing about it, and don't address the issue in the forums. The anti-bot system is about as effective as a toothpick is for barring your door.

9Dragons
Beauty: Martial arts! 9 different clans to choose from with 4 subtypes each makes a lot of kung fu action. Beast: Never got to play it lolz. My video card couldn't handle it.








Trickster Online
Beauty: Clean anime style and look. 8 classes with different specializations. Also character development is deep and several paths can be taken. Monster quests make grinding bearable and exciting. The drilling system lets you find common to rare items underground. Map areas are varied and themed. Beast: The drilling system. It takes some getting used to and will be boring for those who don't get the hang of it. I did, but now I drill as much as I hunt. One trick ponies. Since the second jobs aren't fully out yet, each class is relying on a single offensive skill for hunting monsters. Gorgon: Since it's still Open Beta, a lot of the other options aren't out yet, like MyCamp (build a house and invite people in!),
equipment creation, fashion clothes, guild war etc. Activating skills can be irksome as there's a delay.

Scions of Fate
Beauty: Just started Closed Beta last week but I tried the Viet Nam version beforehand. This is the most popular MMORPG in China (and Korea I think) so there must be something good about it. Beast: So far the grinding has already hit me and I only got to level 12. The quests are simple and worse, uninspired, plus there's no real ambiance to the game, unlike Hero Online which was superbly oriental. Second phase in CB is on the 22nd, where players will start out at level 70, so I'm trying it again then to see if there's something that will make me play it.

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