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

 

Eudemons Online

 Eudemons Online was a personal favorite of mine.The act of taming,training,evolving,and fusing demons to acquire unfathomable power was always more reason to play this game!I am not going to sugar coat this though...the graphics are far from the best but they are not the worse either!Upgrading equipment gives you a shine effect depending on the quality(Normal,Refined,Unique,Elite,and Super) that,towards the higher level weapons,looks stunning!Armor though does not receive such a glow effect but the armors are nice eye candy whether upgraded or not!Eudemons also receive a glow depending on the condition they hatch in(Elite,Legendary,King, etc.) and those states,just like the weapons,affect the quality of the Eudemons stats.
 

  Now the gameplay is your typical left click to move and do normal attacks and right click to use skills.Some classes,like the warrior,gain passive skills that activate at a certain rate while doing normal attacks.During your gameplay you will also see a red bar that slowly regenerates as time passes by.When it reaches max capacity it activates a powerful XP Skill that can 1 hit mobs and grant you fast experience!At later levels this XP Skill can wipe out screen fulls of mobs and this makes leveling much easier!Also to further aid your killing power you can combine with up to three Eudemon and increase your defense and attack!


  Now the Eudemons are pets and like I said earlier these pets can level,evolve,be fused with other Eudemons,and with the vampire class sacrificed.This system adds more depth to the pet system and makes it entertaining to experiment and see if you can build the ultimate Eudemon!The only thing that may bum people out is the items sold in the cash shop.Some increase the chance of a lucky composition of Eudemons and also sell a Eudemon that can fuse with any other Eudemon!Though these features are disappointing it redeems itself with the ability to acquire these items with in game gold or by hunting boss monsters.So not all is a loss.





Eudemons Online is a nice mmorpg that,with time and skill,can be a truly enjoyable experience!
 
Final Review:
Graphics:7/10
Gameplay:8/10
Content:7/10
Cash Shop:6/10
Population:6/10

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

Grand Fantasia

 Grand Fantasia is a anime themed fantasy mmorpg that is published by Aeria Games.Now I reached level 50 with my berserker and had my talents maxed so I am doing this review based on what I saw during my time playing and what I think about the game.Please be advised this is my opinion and some of you may not agree on certain aspects.If anything you see isn't true or is false please comment below.Now on with the review.

  After logging in and reaching the character creation you will see a fair amount of character customization from eyes,hair,hair color,eye shape,and eye color.Also you will be able to customize your sprite.You can choose what its gathering and crafting skill is,color,and hair as well as the name.You will also be able to preview the advanced classes and what they look like.But you start off as a novice until level 10!After choosing your class and getting into the game world you are going to spend levels 1-10 on a newbie island that will give you sprite items,equipment,beginner skills,and your first class advancement.During my time here I saw many players running around doing quests and murdering innocent bunnies so the game has a nice community for beginners.

  I said earlier in the review that your sprite can be assigned certain crafting and gathering skills.Well your sprite is going to be doing ALL of your crafting!On occasion you will have to gather certain ingredients that drop from monsters but other than that it will get the rest on it's own for the beginner equipment.Now the most important thing to remember is this: A happy sprite works more efficiently than a normal or upset sprite.

The sprites mood will affect the outcome of gathering rare ingredients and also if it fails or succeeds at crafting equipment!So keep that sprite fed and happy!You can also add furniture to the room it lives in to increase certain attributes like gathering time,success rate,and increasing the amount of items it gathers.Also you can equip it with gear to give you bonuses when you summon it.My time overall with the sprite was relatively painless and it was nice to have something to do other than level and run instances all day.So for those of you that want more to an mmorpg you should try this out.

Now the first 30 levels were a snap and at this point you should have advanced class and gotten new shiny skills.But after a while you begin to notice you are running out of the main quests and are left wondering what to do next.Well you have two choices!Either do bounty quests and run instances to get exp OR do rep quests for money and exp.The rep quests will always be the same.Kill x monster and collect x amount of item from them.Though the payout is good you may find yourself bored of doing the same thing over and over.And it won't change as you hit higher levels.There is always a rep quest to be done!This may be a turn off for most people but it's easy money and exp and you can farm the quest items until you feel you have enough.
  Through most of my levels never once did I encounter a world boss much less know of one.During a normal instance run I was asked by a fellow guild member to help him with a guild quest involving the killing of a monster called Xerxes a.k.a "Mr.Whiskers".I said yes and after the instance I went straight to him and asked where this monster was?It was a stupid question of course seeing as the lumbering beast was twice the size of a player and it looked like the type of monster anyone would need help killing.After a long battle with the beast I managed to kill it and got a blue named item for it!But these world bosses are not pushovers and even though they reward greatly...are a pain in the ass!
 Grand Fantasia has introduced me to many things I enjoyed...but it's cash shop was not one of them!Yes this is the thorn on the beautiful rose.Even though cash shop items can be bought with gold the useful ones will range anywhere from 100g-2000g or more depending on the items.Legacy sets are very useful and cost 2000g or around 10 bucks in the cash shop.These sets level with you and gain more stats the higher level you are.The best players have these sets and they also sell items that guarantee an upgrade from +1-+9.At a point of view this game is very much pay to win and no matter how you look at it...it will still be the same.If you can look past this or are determined to be the best then good luck.

UPDATE:Level cap has been increased as well as new class advancements!Check it out if you are interested!

Final Review:
Graphics:10/10
Combat:8/10
Crafting:9/10
Population:9/10
Cash Shop:1/10

Aika Online

Are you a fan of mass pvp?Do you like having your own personal slave that buffs you and gives you stat boosts?Are you a fan of anime inspired graphics?Well if you answered yes to any of those then Aika is the game for you!

  As soon as you start up the client and reach the Server selection you'll be amazed to see a nice amount of servers.They are Alethius,Feonir,Lenaria,Ostyrion,and Vanov.But wait!These servers are actually Nations!The one you select and stick to will be the nation you will fight for during the massive Real vs Realm wars that occur!So choose wisely!





After you select a nation you will be greeted with a Character Creation screen.The bad news is the classes are gender locked...but even so do not let this put you off!As male choices you have the Warrior,Rifleman,and Warlock.As female choices you have the Paladin,Cleric,and Dual Gunner.Each class has it's ups and downs.During my time playing I choose rifleman and was amazed at the ability I had to one shot monsters and sometimes even players!After choosing your class you can specialize yourself by choosing skills to upgrade and use during your time playing.It is recommended you look up a build or at least a guide that states which skills are useful and which are not lest you want to be gimped from the start!

  During the early levels you will be tasked with doing quests to gain levels,items,and a class promotion.Now ,as far as quests go,Aika is about as original as any other mmorpg...it isn't.You will kill x amount of monster,gather x amount of items,and talk to npc1515487 to progress.Though this would seem boring to a few if you chose the class you like regardless of sex you will have a blast!Literally a blast if you are one of the gunner classes!

As you progress in level you will obtain a quest to get your very own "Pran" or slave...hehehe...this slave will give you stat boosts and,if it feels like it,give you a buff to make you stronger.Like any other "pet" in mmorpgs you will have to raise it and talk to it so that it gets friendly with you and trusts you more.The more trusting it is of it's master the more likely it is to listen to you or help you out during combat.You can customize this pran and evolve it depending on how you answer questions during the mini conversations it brings up.A nice touch for those who like to just sit in town and feel like they are making progression.

  Now the player population is fairly high so you won't be having too much trouble finding instance groups or pvp groups.So I recommend you try this out and see how much you really like it!

Final Review:
Gameplay-10/10
Graphics-9/10
Population-8/10
Cash Shop-6/10

Rift Online

Rift is a fancy mmorpg with unique features that will be sure to catch the eye of the passing gamer.From wide open terrain to invasions from the Planes,this will be one game that you will never forget. As you start Rift you have the choice of 3 races per faction.Dwarves,Elves,and  Mathosian Humans make up the Guardians while the Bahmi,Kelari,and Eth Humans make up the Defiant.As for classes you have a few preset "souls" which are a combination of three classes to fulfill a role such as tank,support,or dps. After selecting your preset class you can modify your three souls to any of your choice.But with this magnificent class system there is also a big problem.Some classes are not meant to be used with others due to conflicting skills that either use up mana or do nothing to support the other two souls.And some builds are just broken requiring any end game players to be forced to follow a linear path.

  Another interesting feature of Rift are the Elemental Planes.These planes emerge from Tears across the game world.Using a certain item you get at the beginning of the game you can open the tear into a full blown Elemental Tear which summons monsters and gives you random quests.After successfully sealing the tear you receive points that can be used to obtain blue grade gear,potions,or stones to give you added buffs.Some tears called "Minor Tears" can easily be done solo.But Major Tears are not so easy so bring along a buddy if you want to get that nice blue weapon!
  Invasions are...well...what the name says INVASIONS!An invasion takes place every few hours and requires a large amount of players to defend your factions territory.If you participate you receive a nice amount of points at the end and the exp isn't bad either!But be warned,elite monsters appear at times leading the small army of elemental beings and not only do they look intimidating they hit like a truck!The option to join a public group and form a raid against these is always available when you are near a person in that group so finding a party is simple.At the end of each invasion a large boss monster appears.It has a ton of hp and can deal a ton of damage!But after defeating it you end the invasion and can continue on questing!
  The population is healthy but at times you may find it difficult to find any players since a large chunk of the community is already at end game.But thankfully their will be times when a high level player runs you through an instance or helps you complete certain group quests so you won't be stuck as much as you would hope.You will usually be soloing though as most of the quests are soloable and you only need a group for the optional group quests.
  PvP is easy to get into and an easy way to get fast levels!PvP selection on Rift is cross server so you will often be teamed up with people from different shards and even the opposing faction.As you gain levels you can access more maps with different objectives such as capture the flag,acquire the most points,or have as many people carrying a buff.After a few minutes in PvP you will be suprised at how many levels you have gained and how fun it really is!Another option is to grief players from the opposing faction >:D
  Rift is a unique mmorpg that should be played by more people and with the upcoming expansion,it may just be what you dreamed of in a mmorpg.Enjoy the video :)

Final Review:
Gameplay-9/10
Graphics-9/10
Population-6/10
Content-8/10