Elsword

  Elsword is a nice action game that is fun to play and visually pleasing for those that like flashy skills.Many new classes have been added as well as characters(Chung) so the choices are very nice.Character customization is limited mainly to cash shop items but you can customize your character even more later in the game.The gameplay is fast paced and fun,the controls are simple,and the exp rate for completing dungeons is awesome!The one thing that may be seen as an eyesore is the infamous stamina system which limits the amount of dungeons you can do per day.But this is not as bad as it seems!If you do dungeons in a party you will use up LESS of your stamina and you also get a nice exp bonus!During weekends you also have unlimited stamina so you can go wild and can kill all those monsters until your eyes bleed!

  You can advance to different classes as you level(15,35) and each class has all new skills to master as well as a different look!Some classes are faster than the others while others are slower but hit harder.You are the master of your destiny and the way you play this game!

  The PvE is fun like I mentioned earlier but it is in dungeons and can get a bit repetitive after a while.Quests are all over the place but they are usually the same and will have you running the same instances over and over again until you have completed them all.But hey we aren't playing an action game for the story right?Every character does have a back story that is presented after you create your character so it's not all bad.

  Elsword does have a PvP part to it and,though I took part in it occasionally,it was quite fun!Arena matches have three choices for you:1vs1,2vs2,and 3vs3.Participating in them gives you exp and if you win also gives you rank/arena points to increase your PvP rank!If you lose though you get a small amount of exp as well as arena points/fame.At times I found myself paired against an opponent that was CLEARLY out of my league and way above my level.But I suppose it is a small price to pay for everything else it does right!

  All in all I would recommend this game for those who are looking for a game that is straight to the point and fun to boot!Enjoy!

Vindictus

  Vindictus is a action hack and slash mmorpg that focuses on instance based dungeon runs to complete quests,obtain gear,and gain skill experience. The towns are also instanced with different channels that you are randomly dropped into but can switch to another at any time. Vindictus is fast paced and ,accompanied with a pc compatible game pad, can provide you with a nice adrenaline rush now and again. Coupled with skills that can be used in any combo and a dodge ability and you have yourself a nice game that delivers on its action orientation. With four released classes and another class coming soon you have a nice roster to choose from until you find the perfect play style. Unfortunately these classes are gender locked but don't let that stop you! The classes currently released are Lann,Evie,Karok,and Fiona.

  Party play is necessary if you plan on getting the best gear or for leveling fast!The problem with this is that you may encounter latency issues due to the peer to peer connection system it has.If you or another member has a crappy connection the whole party suffers.It is rare to encounter this though so you will be safe until you run into someone using a proxy to play the game.You can also choose to solo this game but unless you are extremely good at your class you will have a difficult time and may end up taking longer on a dungeon run than if you were in a team.Best solution is to get some buddies that live nearby or at least on the same continent to join you.

  Customization wise you have a fair selection of hair styles,hair color,eye color,size, and skin color.To make you stand out even more you can dye your gear different colors! Unfortunately a large selection of the customization options are cash shop based and will cost you some cash to get.But hey everything can't be perfect!Aside from this you can get through all of the game just by running dungeons and crafting your own gear. Gear also has stats to help you specialize in a certain role,and depending on the armor type, can give you added dex for critical hits but lack defense,defense and hp but lack dex, etc. This system allows players to explore and see which armor set is best for them.Titles are also another way to make you stand out and even give you stat boosts.

  PvP is also implemented into Vindictus and is balanced no matter how much you die it is never the class that makes you a good player. PvP has tactics here and involves thinking and playing wisely in order to overcome your opponent.Their is no such thing as a "OP" class so don't go picking a class based on PvP.Pick a class you like stick to it and get better!Other than that PvP is fun and if you don't like to think don't get into this at all!

Final Review:

Gameplay: 10/10

Population: 9/10

Cash shop: 9/10

Content: 9/10

Balance: 9/10

MapleStory

MapleStory is one of the most popular and well known
online games!This is not an exaggeration I have encountered a huge population in MapleStory whether it is peak time or not!Now to get straight to the review this game has beautiful controls that make it seem like you are playing an arcade game, even more with a pc compatible game pad. Now as you start off the game you will be given a choice of which faction to join.Some of these factions have classes unique to them.The factions are Hero,Explorer,Resistance,Cygnus Knights. Depending on which faction you choose you will be able to travel freely to any place on the map.

  Now game play wise you will be surprised at how responsive commands are.At first you will be limited to a few attacks but as you progress you will have access to multiple skills that are not only nice eye candy but also have fast cooldowns so you can chain together multiple skills for a devastating attack!I played as a Slayer and must say it is one of the most interesting and fast paced classes I have played as second to the Stalker!During my play from level 1 to level 148 I never once got tired or bored of playing!You will not have many quests to do and some just don't do any and grind away to high levels so having a nice fast gameplay accompanied with some awesome music will get you pumped and into this game until you are bleeding from your eyes!

 As far as population goes you probably won't find one as good as the one on MapleStory.Henesys Town is still a social hub for those interested in doing nothing but showing off the new cash shop costume!And everyone usually responds to your questions or talks to you randomly which really helps it feel as if it were an ONLINE game.No matter what channel you are on or what server it is guaranteed that you will encounter players wherever you go!Even in your own homes kidnapping your children!

The cash shop is one of the most balanced cash shops I have seen!The only item that may be considered "Game Breaking" is the gachapon tickets,which randomly give you a GM Scroll that upgrades weapons nicely.But it is rare and those that do buy tickets usually end up selling them off.Other than that item everything else is merely for convenience or for lazy people who believe the "Z" key is too far for them to loot items.Beware though!You will want those costumes to look cool!

  A few new classes have been released and this update is LONG overdue.I apologize but as I am but one person it is a daunting task to update and play all the games to make sure the reviews stay true!The first new class I would like to mention is Hayato.He is a katana wielding samurai class.I have not had the liberty of playing as a samurai but from what I have seen it is accompanied by both flashy and fast paced skills that would make any samurai lover feel proud to play as such a character!You can play a female or male version of Hayato but as far as the story is concerned Hayato is a male.



  The next class on the roster is Kanna!She uses a fan and magician equipment.You can play as a male or female Kanna though in the story Kanna is a female!For those that love magic and fans this should be a class you check out if you haven't already!I know I will whenever my internet decides to stop derping!










Final Review:

Gameplay:10/10
Cash Shop:10/10
Population:10/10
Content:8/10

 

Allods Online UPDATE 3/20/13

 Allods Online is a AAA mmorpg filled beautiful environments that change from a scorching hot dessert to a lush jungle and to a robust city filled with players and npcs.After logging in and reaching the character selection screen you will see your available classes and races.These are separated into two factions.The League,which is more of fantasy oriented faction with castles and forests,has the Gibberling,Elves,and Kanian Humans.The Empire which has the Arisen,Orcs,and Xadaganians.After selecting your race and faction you can now choose what class to play as.Note that some races cannot play as certain classes!

  Now the gameplay is as most mmorpg games.You do quests that give exp,honor,and gold to progress while doing instances to gather gear for yourself.Now the noteworthy thing is that combat is more...tactical...than other mmorpgs.Some classes do more damage if you build up enough points while others can activate special effects depending on the amount of points they have.This is where resource managing comes into play.You cannot simply barge into battle and faceroll your keys to get a win.More often than not your death is your fault with one exception which I will cover later on in the review.
  After reaching level 10 you gain access to the talent tree that allows you to build your character for any sort of situations.You gain 1 "ruby" or talent point per level and can distribute it on the grid so long as it is connected to another already highlighted talent.This may seem troublesome but with recent updates some classes can get all the major talents in a few levels!Some talents though are virtually useless and are never used by many knowledgeable players.Thus I suggest you take a look at your classes forum section and read up on what does what and what talents are useful for a certain situation.

  After you advance to level 25 you are sent off to an island where you will get your first taste of PVP.Now most of you think that PvP is skill based.But this is not true for everyone.Some players have purchased runes from...you guessed it...the almighty Cash Shop.True the game has  a in game trader to get Cash Shop currency for gold...but lets face it...you have to pay in order to survive on this island!Most of you think you can go on without having to fight...wrong again...some quests will have you going deep into the opposing factions territory.More than likely you will be used to seeing the screenshot on the left when you get killed by a level 25 player with level 8 or 9 runes.
  To make matters worse some raid groups REQUIRE that you have a minimum of a full set of level 7 runes.Without them you are going to go through hell trying to find a raid group that would willingly take you under its wing.So unless you have spare cash laying around you are going to be in for the toughest ride of your life.Aside from the fact that you need to pay to be competitive this game is still worth the work.Marvelous instances and raids gorgeous graphics and a diverse selection of classes and builds you will enjoy your time playing this game.Even if it is for a short while.
  I forgot to mention the bard class.Though at first glance one would assume it is a musical class that can buff and debuff parties.But it can also AoE and do insane amounts of damage also it can shield itself from damage for a set period.This class has been referred to as OP and I must agree.Be aware of this class during PvP!
  Lords of Destiny is now live!What does this mean for you the player?More content of course!New skills,gear,a glyph system,more Astral Bosses for those Astral faring players!There is much more to discover now!Here is a link stating what has been changed and added! http://allods-forum.gpotato.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=62491
Final Review:
Gameplay-10/10
Content-9/10
Population-8/10
Balance-6/10
Cash Shop-4/10
Crafting-1/10