With 2010 now closed, it is time to take a look at what new free to play MMORPGs came out this past year. 2010 marked a great year for f2p MMORPGs as there were plenty of new quality games that came out this year. This also marked a year where even more struggling pay to play games decided to join the free to play ranks. Overall, the year went pretty well for f2p and the quality of these games is getting even better.
Aika
Pros: PvP including arenas, castle sieges, and realm vs. realm (up to 1000 vs 1000) Extensive pet system
Cons: Only six gender-locked classes Limited character customization
Aika, published by gPotato, offers some of the best PvP of any MMORPG. While it only has 6 classes that are gender-locked, it helps to keep them balanced for PvP. Aika is for the heavy PvP gamer who wants to fight others with battles even going up to 1000 vs. 1000.
Allods Online
Pros: Expansive World Astral ship PvP combat
Cons: Graphics and game design are really similar to WoW Nothing really new or unique
Allods Online is another game published by gPotato. While Allods doesn’t offer anything new or unique, it polishes and refines the systems familiar to the typical MMORPG gamer. It is not really hard to see the huge similarities in the game to WoW however. Starting right at character customization it has the look and feel of WoW with a few differences here and there.
Battle of the Immortals
Pros: Unique Soul Gear armor system with beautiful graphics Auto-navigation to quest locations and npcs
Cons: Only 5 classes and limited character customization Quests are fairly boring and repetitive
Battle of the Immortals, published by Perfect World Entertainment, is also a PvP oriented game. The main feature of BoI is their Soul Gear armor system. Not only is there plenty of customization options for your armor, the armor is animated and moves during your gameplay. This game does have a fair amount of grinding typical with Asian MMORPGs but does offer auto-navigation to quest locations and npcs as well as an in game botting system.
Dynasty Warriors Online
Pros: Familiar hack and slash action of the Dynasty Warriors series 20+ types of weapons available
Cons: Fighting and quests can be very repetitive Controls can be hard to adjust to for the PC
Dynasty Warriors Online, published by Aeria Games, brings the Dynasty Warriors storyline to the MMORPG world. This game has the familiar hack and slash found in the Dynasty Warriors series, but because of this the controls don’t translate very well to the PC. A controller is recommended to play for the easier controls. The graphics and quest system are average at best now compared to the current crop of MMORPGs. Slaughtering an entire army by yourself is pretty fun still.
Everquest 2
Pros: Lots of variety in the quests and content Great character customization in looks, skills, crafting
Cons: Going f2p places restrictions on races, classes, bag space, etc. Currently need to pay to unlock max level
Everquest 2 was originally published in 2004 by Sony Online Entertainment as a subscription game. While they will still keep their subscription servers online, they added free to play servers in 2010. While Everquest 2 has great character customization and a total of 24 classes, much of this is limited in f2p. You can still explore almost all of the massive world of Norrath that Everquest 2 has to offer.
Lord of the Rings Online
Pros: Great storyline and lore from the books/movies Interactive combat system with combos
Cons: Weak PvP besides Monster Play which requires a paid VIP subscription Requires cash shop or heavy grinding to progress past a certain point
Lord of the Rings Online published by Turbine, follows Dungeons and Dragons Online as a subscription based game that totally transfers to f2p. LOTRO features some of the best storylines in their quests and offers decent graphics. The world is huge and many familiar places from the books like the Shire and Bree come to life in this MMORPG. While LOTRO is one of the best MMORPGs in PvE content, the PvP is lacking besides Monster Play which requires a paid VIP subscription.
Vindictus
Pros: Action packed combat and ability to use objects in environment Beautiful non-cartoony graphics
Cons: Limited character options (currently only 3) Small, mostly instanced world
Vindictus, published by Nexon, is another action packed hack and slash version of an MMORPG. The combat is fun and requires more commands than the usual autoattack. The graphics have a darker and more evil look than the typical MMORPG. Currently Vindictus is limited to only 3 character classes and a small world with mostly instanced quests, though there will be more classes added and most likely more content in the future.
(4.18 out of 5)
Gerald