Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser based 3D Sci-Fi MMORPG based on the popular Battlestar Galactica franchise. Play as a Cylon or Human and battle it out in space. Players can explore various worlds, and unlock new weapons, ships, and parts as they progress.

Publisher: Bigpoint
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: High
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Faction Based
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +Based on a popular Sci-Fi franchise. +Great looking graphics powered by the Unity engine. +Plenty of weapons and ship customization options.

Cons: -Limited information available. -No release date set. -Some features will cost real cash. -No land based combat.

Battlestar Galactica Online is a new browser based MMORPG being developed by Bigpoint. Its set during season 2 of the popular TV series and gameplay centers on the ongoing conflict between the Cylons and humans. Like Bigpoint’s Dark Orbit, Battlestar Galactica Online is real-time combat and allows players to purchase various ships and outfit them with dozens of parts. But unlike previous Bigpoint titles, Battlestar Galactica Online was build using the powerful Unity engine which means the game has beautiful 3D graphics that are on par with client based games. Players will be able to get off their ships to explore the BSG universe, but there’s no land based combat component. The game scheduled for release in Fall 2010 and the level cap will be 20. Expect more information on Battlestar Galactica Online in the months ahead.

Two years have passed since the initial Battlestar Galactica Online announcement, and Bigpoint now boasts close to 10 million registered users. This might be a good time to mention that registering to play BSGO is so easy that you can practically do it by accident with one-click Facebook connect. Does this mean that 10 million people registered accidentally? Not likely, but those that decided to take a pass on the game are probably the real winners.

Gameplay: 6/10

It has been 40 years since the first war between the Colonial and Cylon fleets. The Cylons return to take out the Twelve Colonies, but the Battlestar Galactica manages to escape and goes in search of the planet Earth. The Cylon forces pursue, things get messy, and then things get messy again. As the Colonial fleet attempts to “jump”, the faster than light (FTL) drives of both the Colonials and the Cylons are overloaded by an energy pulse which throws both sides far off course. Stranded in unexplored space, both fleets must race to repair, rearm and take control of the system.

Players choose to join either the Humans or the cybernetic Cylons (AKA Toasters). The human side is always more popular, so when joining BSGO you will likely be offered the opportunity to even the playing field by joining the Cylons, where you will receive a temporary XP boost.  Go ahead and take it. The learning curve is pretty steep, so you’ll be itching to score some XP and level up by the time you’ve got things figured out.  Although there is a lot to learn in BSGO, the biggest hurdle is learning to fly your ship effectively.  Controls at your disposal are limited to WASD and mouse. For some strange reason, there is no joystick support in the game.

Gameplay in BSGO is mission-based, and the core objectives are to mine for resources, destroy enemy ships, and take over enemy space. All of the action is seen from a ship perspective. Although players can dock at stations and walk around inside, the purpose is solely to buy, sell, upgrade, repair and get new missions.

In BSGO players may own more than one ship. Your snazzy space ride is made up of slots in which you can install weapons, computers, engines and hull upgrades. Ship parts can be repaired, upgraded and replaced as needed. Skill training will improve your ability to pilot a ship, thus improving the effectiveness of the ship in general. For example, training Gunnery to level 1 will improve your cannon range by 1% and open the door to train other skills.

Mining asteroids is something that players spend a lot of time working at. The act of shooting at a rock is tedious at best. This is why it’s important to fit your ship with a resource scanner as soon as possible. Blindly looking for resources typically ends in disappointment if you have to shoot up every rock in a belt for a few bits ‘n bobs.

Innovation: 4/10

Universal, Bigpoint and developer Artplant have done a fine job of bringing the MMO masses a flight combat game that can be played for free in a browser. However, there is nothing truly innovative about Battlestar Galactica Online. BSGO seems even less spectacular when you consider that Gamigo’s excellent space combat MMO, Black Prophecy, is also free-to-play.

Aesthetics: 7/10

On the visuals front, Battlestar Galactica Online looks very good for a browser game. In fact, if you pop it into full screen mode, it can pass for a client-based game. Effects such as flying debris, weapon spray, missiles and explosions are nice to look at.

If you want to see BSGO look truly gorgeous then give it a fly-through with NVIDIA 3D Vision (or whatever 3D hardware you might happen to have). The game looks amazing in 3D, especially the ships. Sadly there are some glitches that make it unplayable in 3D, such as poor targeting.

Despite being easy on the eyes, there are no guts behind the glory. For example, when playing a traditional MMORPG a player can “feel” the power behind their weapons of choice and the speed of the mount that they ride. In BSGO there is no sense of being there, and no feeling of power behind the ship that you pilot.

Social: 8/10

Socially speaking, BSGO has all of the chat features that one would expect to see in a MMO. Players are friendly, and group invites are plentiful.

Longevity: 5/10

Battlestar Galactica Online will likely be around for a long time, as it’s one of the few decent looking flight combat MMOs out there. While the game will always attract new players, your average individual will quickly find that the game lacks the depth needed to keep a player hooked for the long-term. For those that do stick with it, a couple of perks include regular developer updates and server events.

Polish: 7/10

BSGO is probably about as polished as it’s going to get. Bug fixes and bits of new content are released on a fairly regular basis, but as with most MMOs, BSGO is not without its ongoing problems. One of the biggest issues involves poor pilot controls. The answer is not to put a new system in place, rather it is to play enough that you just get used to how bad it is.

Value: 5/10

As the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for”. If you want the full game experience then you’ll be paying through the nose.

Battlestar Galactica Online has a couple of different currencies, one of them being “Cubits”. Cubits are the most sought after form of currency in the game, and can be purchased for real-world money. A small amount of Cubits can be had by completing missions, killing and mining. This currency is also one of the most controversial aspects of Battlestar Galactica Online.

Cubits are pretty expensive to purchase. Recently 30,500 Cubits could be purchased for $12.99 USD. At the moment there is a sale going on, so you get 78,000 Cubits for $12.99 USD. The problem is that any way you do the math, that’s not a whole lot of Cubits in the grand scheme of things. Cubits will buy you the best ships and upgrades, as well as a range of game-changing Boosters. A level 1 player can use Cubits to purchase experience points, skill training time reductions and a lot more. In theory, the fattest wallets win.

At current market prices you can purchase 25,000 instant XP for 35,000 Cubits. If you pick up a few Cubits at level 20 you can snag a sweet little ride for a mere $40 USD; or $80 USD if the Cubits are no longer on sale. If you want to purchase the same ship without plunking down real coin then you’re looking at some serious hard labor to make it happen.

Summary

Battlestar Galactica Online isn’t without its thrills, but they are few and far between. Getting your finances in order is the ultimate grind. If you make some friends in the game then you can have a pretty good time on the combat front. But if your new-found chums decide to use real-world money to level up or buy uber gear, then you may get left floating alone in the debris. Toss in the wonky controls and Battlestar Galactica Online is a bit of a crying shame.

Supremacy 1914 is a Browser-Based MMORTS set during World War 1 that allows up to 30 competitors to battle for control over Europe.

Though still a Browser-Based MMORTS at heart, Supremacy 1914 has taken a different route to a similar point, in that you will not be required to build a city and train a hero; instead, you’ll use military and diplomacy to conquer the armies of 1914 Europe and claim the nation’s power as your own.

Lord of Ultima is a 2D browser based strategy MMO with many unique features. Players start with a single, empty village and must expand it into a mighty capital overseeing a growing empire. Use trade, diplomacy, and war to best your rivals. Form alliances and conquer the world of Caledonia.

Publisher: Electronic Arts – EA Phenomic
Playerbase: Medium
Graphics: Medium
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: Low
PvP: Open
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +Original strategy script. +Building placement matters, city layouts take thought. +Complete quests, and raid dungeons.

Cons: -Slow paced gameplay. -Very weak connection with Ultima franchise. -Paying players receive large advantages.

Lord of Ultima marks EA’s latest efforts in the free to play space. Web based strategy games are quite common, but Lords of Ultima manages to offer a truly unique experience while keeping gameplay simple. Players start off with a small town, and must build it up by generating resources, constructing new buildings, training soldiers, and upgrading their town hall. Settle or conquer new cities to expand your empire, but be sure to make allies and form an alliance for mutual protection. Building placement actually matters in Lords of Ultima, a strategic building plan will make a city more prosperous. There are also dungeons to raid in LoU. Defended by NPC monsters, players send their troops to raid dungeons to earn extra resources and items.

Units - Cityguard, Berserker, Ranger, Guardian, Scout, Crossbowman, Knight, Mage, Warlock, Templar, Paladin, Baron, Ram, Ballista, Catapult, Sloop, Frigate, War Galleon

Farmerama is a 2D browser based farming sim similar to Facebook’s Farmville. Plant crops, pick fruit trees, raise animals, and complete missions to earn cash and experience. Expand your farm, and invite friends to be your neighbor in this animated browser game.

Publisher: BigPoint
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: Low
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: Low
PvP: N/A
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +Will run on almost any machine. +Can be played in short bursts throughout the day. +Large variety of farm animals & crops.

Cons: -Limited player interaction, feels empty without Facebook integration. -Repetitive gameplay.

Farmerama is BigPoint’s answer to Farmville, a popular ‘social’ game that’s gained enormous popularity on Facebook. While the benefits of being a standalone game are evident, Farmerama does suffer from a lack of interactive gameplay. Players will rarely communicate with other farmers outside of the forums. That doesn’t mean the game can’t keep rural enthusiasts entertained. Simple gameplay and a large variety of crops to plant, trees to pick, and animals to raise helps keep Farmerama fresh. Farming may not be every gamers ideal genre, but as Harvest Moon proved on consoles, it can be quite addictive. Players gain experience and country coins by harvesting crops and completing delivery missions. Country coins are used to purchase new seeds, animal buildings, and other goodies. Some items and services can only be purchased with Barnyard bucks which must be purchased with real cash or exchanged with country coins at a 10:1 ratio.

Farm Animals - Chickens, Rabbits, Goats, Ducks, Turkeys, Sheep, Pigs, Cows, Horses, Bees, Fish, Ostriches, Camels, Kangaroos

The 3rd season of Game of Thrones is returning on March 31st, in USA and Canada. The international premiere is set for April 1st.

The HBO production became a critical and commercial success since its premiere in April 2011. This season is based roughly on the first half of A Storm of Swords, the third of the A Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R. R. Martin, of which the series is an adaptation.

New characters, new locations, more drama and higher stakes. This season promises to be very good and if we look back to other HBO productions like: The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Band of Brothers, we may have the right to set a high standard here. Even so, I think that the 3rd season won’t disappoint.

In order to make an idea of your own about what to expect from the 3rd season I give you the official trailer.

Okay, why does this poster look like the end of Conan The Destroyer where we got a glimpse of King Conan… or Game of Thrones.  Whichever suits your fancy.

Any way, I’m a fan of the Riddick series, even back when it was a back-water movie called “Pitch Black“.  Personally, Vin Diesel may not be my favorite action star (that’s reserved for Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock at the moment), but I enjoy his movies (in general) quite a bit.  The Chronicles of Riddick may have had its faults, but it was entertaining, and that’s all I need.

In the magical world of FantasyRama, Elves, fairies, and mystical creatures coexist under the protection of the mighty trees of life. The perfect dream land, however, is at the risk of destruction and therefore, is badly in need of a hero or heroine who can rise to the occasion to save the world and restore peace.

In the shadow of the sacred tree of life, delicate fairies are preparing to tell you the secrets of the creatures around them. Collect the mighty ambrosia and shape marked by an imaginary world of fantasy!

Embark on an adventurous trip to the world, encounter its inhabitants who are as mysterious as the land itself, plant and harvest herbs and other magical plants, and acquire the magical power to defend the dreamy world. Uncover the secrets of the universe of fairies with your magical garden!

Steel Legions is a free-to-play, steampunk themed MMO. Players take the job of piloting a steam powered heavy tank for one of four kingdoms in a all out war for resources and power. Equipment, tactics, and team play are all necessary tools on the battle field in order to attain victory. Improve your tank through various upgrades, but don’t fret; superior forces can and will fall when faced with superior spirit.

Publisher: Splitscreen Games
Playerbase: ??
Graphics: Medium
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: ??
PvP: Yes
Filesize: ~20 MB

Pros: +Unique story and gameplay style. +Upgradeable tanks. +Exciting missions and combat.

Cons: -Complete PvP gameplay may not be for

In Steel Legions, you join one of four factions in all-out PvP battles. You gain experience and money for completing missions against other players, which allow you to upgrade your tank. The game, however, focuses more on tactics and teamwork than having the best equipment. Working together smartly with others will allow you to take down more powerful opponents, so new players have just as much chance against veterans.

Metin 2 is a 3D fantasy MMORPG with fast paced, real time combat. Join one of 3 factions fighting for control of the continent. Metin 2 allows players to ride mounts, participate in guild wars and even purchase large guild forts.

Publisher: Z8Games / GameForge
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: Low Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: High
PvP: Duels / Faction Wars
Filesize: 497 MB

Pros: +Fast paced combat. +Quick leveling early on via quests. +Open PvP and guild battles.

Cons: -Dated graphics. -Limited class choices. -Most quests are useless. -Recycled monsters. -No character customization.

Metin 2 is a simple but fast paced fantasy MMORPG which is popular in Europe and has recently been brought to the North American market by Z8Games. There are three warring factions, each represented by a separate kingdom. All three kingdoms share the same 4 class choices and players of all three start in the same area. Your faction choice only comes into play after level 15 where players of opposing factions may freely attack you. Upon reaching level 5, each class has two specialization options. The classes of Metin 2 are:

Warrior - Warriors focus on physical melee attacks. At level 5, Warriors can become Arahans who possess high attack speeds or Partisans who focus on defense.

Assassin - Assassins prefer light weapons and can specialize into Archers or continue their training as Assassins, focusing instead of daggers or swords.

Mage - Mages are the spell casters of Metin 2 and can chose either the Dragon or Lighting school of magic. Dragon Mages focus on offensive spells while Lighting Mages focus on supportive spells such as heals and buffs.

Sura - The Sura is a hybrid swordsman / casters who may specialize in either Black Magic or Mirage Force. Black Magic Suras possess powerful long ranged spells while Mirage Force Suras are adapt at mixing short ranged magic with their melee attacks.

It is vital that you make your class choice at level 5 by speaking to the appropriate NPC. If you level up before changing classes, you’ll lose the skill points that normally would of been gained from that level.

It always seemed pretty weird to us why the Free MMOs from eastern countries including Korea and China are based on western mythologies and medieval times, even when they are not planned for European or American launch. However, with Metin2, the Chinese based company Ymir Entertainment proves that they can do much better a job while sticking to their very own Asian theme. So, if you are also looking for a change, Metin2 is a free to play you might consider giving a try.

Metin 2 is not a new game. It was released back in 2004. Talking about how fast the world of MMORPGs has evolved during the past few years, we can imagine how dated it might seem now. However, it is strange that the oriental theme remained un-copied despite the ‘cloning’ nature of the MMO Industry, Thus, giving us a solid reason to try Metin2 for a change. In the United States, the game is published by G4Box Inc since 2007.

The Story

Chinese, being fond of storytelling, have added a nice little back story to the game. Yet, the story somehow fails to stand out as very unique. As for the storyline, despite the storyline quests , it doesn’t merge well into the gameplay, as expected form a game released back in 2004.

The story takes you back to a long time age when there was only one empire. The land was peaceful and unaware of a deadly zombie-disease spreading across the world. Eventually, the undead were so many in numbers that they attacked the poor empire. The empire broke in three kingdoms, each one fighting for its own survival, not just against the zombies but against each other as well.

Meanwhile, Metin stone fell from out of ‘somewhere’. More Metin stones fell, and everyone was scared of going near these stones. Yet, as a player you must pledge allegiance with the Dragon God and reunite the three kingdoms in order to restore balance.

Factions and Classes

Metin2 features three factions, that is three kingdoms as we mentioned above, and four character classes to play with. Each class further divides into two subclasses at level five. Let’s find out some more about that.

Factions

Milgaard – most of the citizens in this empire are merchants making it the most prosperous economy among the three. The Metin stone has blocked their trade routes, resulting in serious damage to the economy.
Dendera – Living in extreme conditions of the Northern areas, Dendera people are very aggressive. Most people call them savages, but they are strong people building a strong army to restore their glory.
Listhmos – Ruled by a powerful king and his magician wife, Listhmos people are natural fighters.

Classes

Assassins -Assasins go through a tough mental and physical training which gives them a higher level of dexterity. The carry light armor and light weapons. They can further choose to be an archer.
Warrior – This is the melee class with good attack and defense during close combat. They can further choose the subclass of Arahans or Partisans.
Mage – Mage can cast strong offensive spells but they are very weak in terms of defense. At level five, mage can choose from the Lightning force or the dragon Force.
Sura -Sura, with their demonic arm can both be swordsmen and spell casters. They can further choose black magic or mirage force.

Gameplay

Metin2 is a game that tried everything it needs to make the gameplay simple. The very first thing probably comes in the form of minimum character customization. In fact, the game starts with the choice of faction and class. The only thing you can do with your character is gender and wardrobe selection. There is no choice of hairstyle or haircolor, but you can later purchase them in the game.

As a new player, all the players, despite their factions, start from the same point on the map. Another effort to keep it simple perhaps. The game starts with quests, which you will have to get from an NPC first. NPCs definitely have a major role in the game. Not only they offer you quest, they will also help you in choosing your subclass, once you reach level five. The quests are not any different than what we keep doing in other MMOs, but some of them come with great rewards. Now, this is where the grinding becomes inevitable as a player can easily level up to 20 with just grinding and grinding.

As for the combat, it is definitely the highlight of the game. You won’t be seeing the typical point and click combat. It is rather very dynamic, unexpectedly of an old game as this one. Each click of a mouse will let you see a unique swing of sword. It is really fun to see the martial art styled action, sweeping two or three enemies with a single move.

The PvP in Metin2 is not available until you reach level 15, and we’d say this is where the fun actually begins. To be honest, the major excitement comes from the faction vs. faction vs. faction PvP system. You can be attacked by any member of the opposing two factions as well as your own faction. Likewise you can also attack them as well. This is the open PvP system, but if you think this is kind of unfair, you can choose to duel in a one on one PvP match.

Furthermore, players are free to build their own guild, which really makes the gameplay even more exciting than you can expect. The game also features several systems including marriage, fishing and emotional expression systems.

Graphics and Sound

Well, there really isn’t any point discussing the graphics of Metion 2. Given that the game was developed back in 2004, it really doesn’t offer the most amazing 3D graphics. Yet, we really think that the simple gameplay won’t make it much noticeable. Same can be said about the sounds, but as usual, we are still thankful that the effects are at least not ‘fingers-on-the-chalkboard’ annoying.

The Final Word

Being honest, we won’t term Metin2 as the most awesome must-try FTP around. However, if you are looking for a slight change of theme, Metin2 does offer a good break from the usual. Besides, it really is a worth trying game for those who prefer games with good combat system and exciting PvP. So, for a player willing to overlook the dating graphics and lack of content, Metin2 does offer an engaging experience.

Short Introduction
Metin2 is a massively multiplayer online game which is packed with great features including quests, guild battles and nation wars. Metin2 players from all over the globe will be able to play at no cost!
With a completely revamped Battle System, Metin2 is one of the best in any real time FPS/TPS MMORPG to date. The action is fast and furious, while attacking anything your weapon makes contact with. Such a battle system is a new kind of fighting style as the player is able to attack multiple targets simultaneously. Fighting moves include cut, split, bent, prick and projectiles. Metin2 simulates the speed and fierceness of real world fighting.

Graphics: 9/10
With the game running on high everything it can be compared to many other games with high quality graphics except it does not have a blur effect to give it a glossy look like 9dragons.

Sound: 8/10
The sound effect are sounds that you would expect to hear and are dramatically correct unlike other games in which you swing your sword and you here “WAPING”. The sounds have a dramatic feel which makes the game exciting, and the background music is sort of like World Of Warcraft in which it plays low in the background giving the game a not to much overpowered ambient theme.

Gameplay: 10/10
The game has a unique battle system which I have never witnessed for an online game of that genre that eliminates the generic point and click system that many MMO`S except for a few, revolve around.

Community: 8/10
The game has a overall good party system, and a great guild system which includes guild houses, they also have special emotions which can be used on other players, such as kissing the other player.

Value: 9/10
You can enjoy this game for a long time. Even if your bored you can turn on PK mode(player killing mode), go outside of town and test your skills versus other players. With the battle system in this game PVP looks really fun and exciting.

Unique features: 10/10
Dynamic Battle system which eliminates the use of the mouse. The other features such as polymorphism and guild houses are still yet to show but are included.

Overall
The game is awesome, theres plenty of quests to do so the grind is minimal, the fighting is action packed, the graphics are wonderful. Theres only one thing wrong with the game and that is the classes are gender oriented, being that if you want to be an assassin or mage then you would have to be that of the female gender, which is kind of a bummer for those guys that love assassins but will not dare play a female character. I would definitely give this game a try, but I have to worn you it is extremely addicting.

In The Settlers Online (known also as Castle Empire), you are the king of a fledgling empire, seeking to become mighty and great. Develop your land to produce the raw materials needed for construction, exploration, and combat. Join with your friends to create a thriving land, and go on exciting adventures together. Repel invasions with your forces, and grow a kingdom into an empire.

Publisher: Ubisoft
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: Medium
Type: MMORTS
EXP Rate: ??
PvP: ??
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +In-depth tutorial. +Crisp Graphics with great animations. +Join with friends to adventure.

Cons: -Very similar to other strategy games. -Limited information available.

The Settlers Online is an RTS that has you building your city from the ground up. Various buildings are available to gather wood, stone, and provide food for your population. The game is unique that your friends can help you do multiple things, especially adventuring for fun and profit. The animations in the game are smooth and believable, even if the graphic style might be considered cartoon-like.

For your victories on the battlefield you can count only on hard cold steel. Imperia Online never sleeps. Whether you are online or not, your empire collects resources and grows.

Everything that you do is in real time. Imperia Online does not have turns or ticks, the action happens as it would in the real world. Everything in the game revolves around interesting decisions and choices. Whether you will dominate thru brutal force and wars, or you will develop a powerful economy depends solely on you. Make alliances and break them, make wars and peace, make friends and enemies.

It is all here, all against real people by the thousands from all over the world! Make Imperia Online your virtual world! Your loyal subjects await you! Thanks to our 3D designers we have over 12,000 different province terrains so every player has a unique view of their lands.

This Review omitted a number of paragraphs, you can read the full version – Imperia Online Review or check our Imperia Online Feature to find more information.

Star Trek Online is a 3D sci-fi themed MMORPG based off the popular Star Trek Franchise. Players step into the role of a rising Starfleet Lieutenant, commanding their own crew and ship through unknown zones in the galaxy. Fans of the original series will enjoy strolling through the Enterprise, participating in PvE ground combat, and waging war in PvP tactical ship battles with fellow comrades. Customize your ship with a variety of weapons and add-ons or even create your own master alien race in this free-to-play space MMO.

Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Factions / Duels
Filesize: ~7 GB

Pros: +Great graphics. +Explore Star Trek Universe. +Ground and tactical space combat. +Wide variety of ship customization options. +Weekly episodes and events. +In-depth character creation tool.

Cons: : -Repetitive gameplay. –Controls could be better. –Cluttered interface. –Buggy at times. -Shop items are overpriced. –Free players limited in character slots and chat access.

Star Trek Online is a free-to-play MMORPG set in the year 2409. Players can become young wide-eyed Lieutenants in the Federation or Klingons exploring the unknown. Based off the Star Trek Franchise it’s somewhat comparable to Battlestar Galactica Online, Dark Orbit, and Pirates of the Burning Sea in terms of gameplay. Players complete various missions on ground or in space. Each captain can control their own spacecraft and fight others in an intergalactic faction war. Participate in hand to hand combat or fire phasers at foes while exploring new planets. Choose between three distinct positions and slowly expand your crew. Customize your ship with an assortment of weapons and gadgets for strategized attacks. Work your way up the ranks to admiral and run one of the best U.S.S. Starships ever to enter the solar system.

Races – Human, Andorian, Bajoran, Benzite, Betazoid, Bolian, Ferengi, Pakled, Rigelian, Saurian, Tellarite, Trill, Vulcan, and Alien.

Careers/Classes:

Tactical Officer (Red Uniform) – Experts in squad tactics, stealth recon and capable of inflicting high levels of damage during combat. Tactical Officers use their fist, phaser gun, and photon torpedo to subdue enemies.

Engineering Officer (Yellow Uniform) – Their advanced technical skills enable equip their shields with the power to withstand the most damage while supporting their away team with firearm modifications and repairs.

Science Officer (Blue Uniform) – Has the ability to ensnare enemy ships with tractor beams, locate cloaked ships, and use holoprojectors to confuse our foes. Science Officers can heal damage.

Ships:

Cruisers – The largest of all spacecrafts these ships are known for their resiliency and large crew capacity. They can be used as an independent force or a support ship.

Escorts – These small ships are loaded with enough fire power to defeat an entire fleet. Escorts are equipped with additional tactical bridge officers and the ability to carry cannons.

Science Vessels – Make up for their lack of weaponry with advanced technology. These ships are armed with deflector dishes and sensors that can identify enemy weakness. They are excellent allies to have during team based combat.

kariam is a 2D browser based strategy MMO set in the Greek Isles. Players start with a single village, or Polis, on a Mediterranean island and must expand their territory and wealth through trade & conquest.

Publisher: Gameforge
Playerbase: High
Graphics: Low
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: Slow
PvP: Open
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +Unique theme/setting. +Stylish cartoon graphics. +Interesting resource system forces players to trade/raid.

Cons: -Slow paced gameplay. -No tutorial, limited sense of direction. -No newbie protection.

Ikariam is a browser based strategy game set in the archipelago of Classical Greece. The core gameplay is similar that of other strategy games that came before it but Ikariam manages to do enough differently to stand out in the crowded genre. Players start with a single town (or ‘polis’ as they are called) on an island that accommodates up to 16 players. There are hundreds of islands scattered across the world. Each island has two collective resource spots, one that produces wood and the other that produces one of the other four resources. This means all islands lack at least three resources that players need to expand, forcing players to either trade, raid, or colonize other territories across the seas.

Ikariam is a game that has an ancient flavor coating to it, but at its core, it is a micro-managing game of city expansion, alliances, residents you must keep happy, and resource managing, all in a multiplayer world. When you create a new account, you’ll be started out with one city with a population of about 40 (I don’t remember the exact number). You’ll want to start building buildings that will make your population happier, but don’t forget to protect it as well!

When you first start out, there are only a few buildings you can construct. To get more, you’ll need to build an Academy. Then you need to put some of your population into the Academy to research. There are four areas you can research: Seafaring, Economy, Science, and Warfare. Now sometimes, you’ll have to research one before you can go back to another, simply because they are interconnected. I mean, you can’t learn wine press in economy without first knowing how to dig a well from the science field. As far as I could tell, they are all logical dependencies too, not just made up to keep your levels equal.

There are no computer enemies in Ikariam, but there are plenty of other humans that could be either friend or foe. Luckily, there are quite a few things you can do for protection. There’s a town wall you can build and upgrade that helps protect the town. You’re going to also want to build barracks so that you can train soldiers. If you’re like me and enjoy the science and town construction more than war, then I recommend you start making friends with the people around you. There are a very large number of alliances you can join. People in your alliance can help you with warfare, and day to day life stuff as well. There are even spies available that you can train to investigate other cities.

One thing I haven’t talked about is how you actually build stuff. There are 5 types of materials you need in your cities: wood, wine, marble, crystal glass, and sulphur. Wood is available for you to set people harvesting on all islands. Each island also has one of the other four materials. Obviously, you’ll need to get the other 3 materials somehow. You can hope that someone on a nearby island has then available (which I’ve noticed is rare, at least on the islands I’m on), or you can use the premium trader. The premium trader allows you to trade materials other than wood 1 for 1 for each other. Wood can be traded at a 2 for 1. You will have to pay 3 ambrosia to the gods for this benefit though.

Ambrosia is purchased with a plus account. In my experience, I never found people offering what I needed for trade, so I didn’t see any way around paying for it. Honestly though, ambrosia is relatively cheap. You can get 100 ambrosia for $14.95 (that’s the smallest amount). There are also bigger packages that are better deals. If you manage it well though, you’ll be able to build on 4 different islands so that you’ll have one of each resource without running out of ambrosia. Ambrosia can also be used to pay for premium advisors. They make it a lot easier to manage your resources. When you start to get a few towns, you’ll probably want to pay for them sometimes too. Also, another thing is that Ambrosia has a time factor attached to it. For example, for a 20% boost in harvesting building materials, it will cost you five ambrosia and it lasts for seven days.

On the whole, I’m really enjoying Ikariam. Because it is all real time, I can set my towns going, go back to my real job, and check in on my towns every so often. I will warn you that starting out is somewhat slow. Since it is real time, you can’t just hit space bar to skip years. You’ll have to wait on your population to build up, but it really doesn’t take too long. I recommend you go check Ikariam out. Given that it’s free, what do you have to lose? It is a great way to keep occupied during breaks at work without getting so addicted that you lose days of your life!

Rating 18/20
[ Graphics | 5 ]
[ Gameplay | 4 ]
[ Through | 4 ]
[ Fun Factor | 5 ]

Grepolis is a 2D browser based strategy MMO set in Ancient Greece. Grepolis allows players to build their own classical city, complete with a  Senate Building and to raise armies consisting of land, naval, and even mythological troops!

Publisher: InnoGames
Playerbase: Low
Graphics: Medium
Type: MMO
EXP Rate: Slow
PvP: Open
Filesize: N/A

Pros: +Varied unit types including ships & mythological creatures. +Raid NPC villages. +Easy to learn, simple tutorial.

Cons: -Paying players receive huge advantages. -Slow paced gameplay. -Limited animations. -Less variation than other recent strategy games.

Like Ikariam, Grepolis is a browser based strategy game set in Ancient Greece. Players start with a tiny ‘polis’ or city and must build it up into a thriving Aegean metropolis. All player controlled cities start near the coast of one of the many islands that populate the world. More inland towns are NPC controlled Farming Villages that can be pillaged by surrounding players. There are three key resources in Grepolis, Wood, Rock, and Silver which are all generated at different buildings. Farms are also required to increase your city’s population and warehouses increase the cap of resources players can store. After getting their economies set up, players must train land troops, ships, and even mythological creatures to defend themselves from aggressors in this open PvP environment.

Synopsis: 
In the near future the society of a megalopolis is divided into two fractions:
on one side a super-rich minority, led by the ruthless dictator Lucius
(Werner Daehn), living a life of debauchery and decadence. On the other side
the vast majority, dwelling in different degrees of nearly unbearable poverty.

When the young Frederick (Nikolai Kinski) comes in possession of the partial
copy of a long forbidden Stanley Kubrick movie, it sparks a growing movement
amongst the city’s formerly aimless youths, developing fast into serious
opposition to the ruling system, which retaliates with rapidly increasing
brutality. Frederick becomes Alex, his friends the new droogs. But are they even
aware of the consequences of their actions?

Website http://www.alex-the-movie.com/

Forsaken World is a 3D fantasy MMORPG set in the world of Eyrda. The game offers 5 races, 8 classes, guild battles, and over 10 occupations. Forsaken World is published by the same studio behind Perfect World, and is inspired by European mythology.

Publisher: Perfect World Entertainment
Playerbase: High
Graphics: High Quality
Type: MMORPG
EXP Rate: Medium
PvP: Duels / Clan Wars
Filesize: ~ 3100 mb

Pros: +Varied races & classes. +Plenty of crafting options. +Unique Soul PvP system. +Map-wide skill effects. +Varied PvP options. +Great music.

Cons: -Some translation errors.  -Generic fantasy setting.

Forsaken World is the sixth MMORPG by Perfect World Entertainment for the North American market. The game officially launched into open beta on March 09, 2011. Original features in Forsaken World include a Vampire race called the Kindred, the ability for up to 10 players per server to become Gods, a unique PvP system, floating fortresses which guilds can fight over, and map-wide skill effects.

Unlike previous Perfect World games, Forsaken World is set in a Western fantasy world rather than the usual oriental setting. Perfect World Entertainment also publishes Jade Dynasty, Ether Saga Online, Battle of the Immortals, Rusty Hearts, and Legend of Martial Arts.

Races - Stoneman, Elf, Dwarf, Human, Kindred
Occupations - Socialite, Adventurer, Merchant, Collector, Arcanist, Botanist, Astrologist, Armorsmith, Blacksmith, Tamer, Alchemist

Classes:

Warrior - The central figure of any group. Warriors have high health and can deal heavy damage at close range.

Protector - The tank, or defensive fighter of Forsaken World. Protectors absorb blows for their allies. They have heavy health and defense but limited damage output.

Assassin - Masters of stealth, Assassins deal high damage at close range. They have light armor and health and cannot stand toe to toe with enemies for long.

Marksman - Wielding long-ranged weapons, Marksman fight their enemies from a distance. They deal consistent damage over time, but are lightly armored.

Mage – Masters of the elements, Mages are a dieing breed in Forsaken World but those that remain are deadly. They have high damage output but how defense and health.

Priest - Supportive casters who heal and bolster the fighting capabilities of their allies.

Vampire - A mysterious class that mixes magic with melee attacks. Vampires use their own health to perform attacks, but absorb the life of their enemies.

Bard - A supportive class whose music can effect those around them. Bards can disable enemies or buff allies nearby.

Zynga’s latest title ChefVille is now available on Facebook. The game is attempting to do several things: resurrect the ailing restaurant management genre, appeal to established Zynga fans, and bring in “foodies” as a specific player demographic.

ChefVille casts players in the role of a new restaurant owner aiming to make a name for themselves in a small local community. The game begins with players designing their avatar — which may be male or female, and customized with a selection of facial features and clothing — and then introduces the various core concepts of play.

The player’s time in ChefVille will be split roughly equally between finding ingredients and using them to cook various dishes. Each dish requires a specific combination of ingredients, some of which may be found in logical places (bread may be found on a rack outside the town bread store, tomatoes may be found growing in the garden) and others, such as salt, which must be acquired by visiting friends’ restaurants. Once ingredients have been found, the player must use an appropriate item of kitchen equipment to create the dish. Bubbles representing the individual ingredients appear over the player’s head and must be clicked on, then the dish takes a period of real time to cook — though as usual, these tasks may be sped up with hard currency.

Once the dish has been prepared, the player earns points towards “mastery stars” for the dish, and it is served onto one of the restaurant counters. More counters mean more dishes may be served at once, and more mastery stars mean a greater number of servings come from a single cooking action. In an interesting touch — and a nod to the foodie audience Zynga is hoping to court — some dishes unlock a shareable “real-life recipe” upon achieving two mastery stars.

Customer orders can be taken automatically by wait staff or by the player, with the latter option providing more soft currency rewards when the customer pays up and leaves. Wait staff will continue to take orders while the player is not actively playing, allowing for the generation of income even if the player has no energy left to play — assuming they have left some items on their restaurant’s counters, of course.

Over time, the player’s influence in the town expands and various new areas open up, providing access to new ingredients and thus more foods. These shops must either be staffed by friends or populated with game characters, hired using hard currency. Similarly, constructing some items — especially those that provide regular income of ingredients — requires the player to either request help for materials from friends or cough up further hard currency. It’s a very conventional system that Zynga has used with great success in its previous titles, so as the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke…”

Social features are a little limited right now aside from the “friend-hiring” and help requests. Gifts may be exchanged between players, and visiting each other’s restaurants provides rare ingredients and currency income, but there is little incentive (or indeed ability) to directly interact with one another. Players are encouraged to visit friends through the reward of “hearts,” the game’s social currency, but there are relatively few items which actually require these. Moreover, hearts can simply be purchased using hard currency, somewhat diminishing their “social” value.

Perhaps more concerning for the game is the fact that a number of bugs and technical issues are evident. When returning from a friend’s restaurant, for example, the game regularly gets stuck in a loading loop requiring the page to be refreshed in order to continue. The interface, too, sometimes has issues when a button is in the same screen location as an interactive item in the game world — several times during testing the game registered a click on the button as a click on the object behind it instead of the button itself, leading to wasted energy points. Flaws like this are unusual to see in Zynga games, which are usually polished to a fine sheen before being released to the public.

ChefVille has some good ideas — the “real-life recipes” function is a particularly nice touch — but the execution needs a little tweaking and refinement before it’s ready for primetime. As such, it’s one to keep an eye on for now and maybe check back in on in a month or two when some of the proposed additional features have been added, and hopefully some of the technical issues have been resolved.

As a new release, ChefVille is not yet listed on our traffic tracking service AppData, but Facebook reports it has approximately 40,000 monthly active users. Check back shortly to follow its progress by MAU, DAU and user retention figures.

KartWorld is a new Facebook-based racing game developed by Twiitch and published by RockYou. At the time of writing, it’s showing up as the No. 16 fastest-growing Facebook game by DAU this week.

KartWorld combines isometric-perspective kart racing with light management/sim elements to give the player a feeling that they are running a successful racing team. Through purchasing karts, racing them and providing services to generate income, the player attempts to rise to prominence in the racing world as a legend.

The two components of KartWorld are distinct from one another, and the game introduces them separately via an initial tutorial that gets players straight into a race and then proceeds to show them how to make money, challenge other players and other possibilities on offer.

Racing in KartWorld is mouse-controlled. The player’s kart sits in the middle of the screen and follows the mouse pointer. The further the mouse pointer is from the kart, the stronger the acceleration. It’s a simple system that works quite well assuming the player’s mouse is in decent condition, though if playing on the Facebook canvas it’s much too easy to move the mouse outside the game window and cause problems. There is a full-screen mode available that removes this issue, but the player is not made explicitly aware of its presence and, oddly, it only works for the racing component, not the management sim. This means that the game constantly flicks back and forth between full-screen and windowed mode, which breaks the immersion factor significantly.

In the management component of the game, the player has a number of options. They may use earned soft currency (and purchased hard currency) to acquire and upgrade vehicles and add facilities to their garage. Additional income may be earned by performing services on cars that queue up outside the garage. Services take varying periods of real time to complete, and in order to perform several at the same time, the player must “hire” their friends as staff members. One “fake friend” is provided for free, but additional ones must be drawn from the player’s friend list or purchased using hard currency. Hard currency may also be spent on premium upgrades, vehicles and speeding up time-consuming services, and may be acquired either through Facebook’s payment interface or by watching partner advertisements.

From the management screen, the player has the option to launch a variety of different race types. Challenges allow players to compete asynchronously against one another by exchanging ghost data, while the option is also available for live multiplayer races. Drag racing and destruction derby minigames are also available for a bit of variety, though there seems to be plenty of diversity in the tracks for the normal races, too. It costs gas to compete in all races, and this gradually restores over time or may be immediately refilled using hard currency.

The structure and gameplay of KartWorld is very sound. Racing is simple but satisfying, and the management component provides enough things to do between races to keep things interesting. Multiplayer races are easy to set up, and asynchronous competition allows players from disparate time zones to compete against one another quickly and easily. The whole experience should be excellent.

And it is, for the most part, until numerous technical issues start to rear their ugly heads. The game froze up completely several times during testing, once with an HTML Error 500 and once simply becoming completely non-responsive. Reloading the game page occasionally lost progress or purchased items — in one notable example, the first kart I purchased and placed in my garage disappeared from the screen completely in subsequent reloads, even though the game still considered me to own it when attempting to start a race.

In the races themselves, things are a bit better, though there are a number of graphical glitches evident on several tracks, where the tiles that make up the map “flicker” in a distracting manner. This doesn’t usually affect the track itself, only the backdrop, but it’s still rather distracting. The frame rate is, at times, a little inconstent, too, even on a powerful machine with decent graphics hardware. There are no complex 3D graphics going on here, so a consistent, smooth frame rate isn’t an unreasonable expectation.

Regrettably, these technical issues are too prevalent and occur too often to be easily written off as something to tolerate. They impact the experience to a significant degree at the time of writing, and thus while the game structure and gameplay is incredibly sound, it makes it impossible to recommend this title without reservations at this time. Once the bugs are fixed, there’ll be a truly excellent Facebook racing experience here — as it stands now, however, it’s just very strong potential.

KartWorld currently has 260,000 monthly active users and 40,000 daily active users. Follow its progress with AppData, our traffic tracking service for social games and developers.

I’m tattooed, you’re (probably) tattooed, everyone’s tattooed. I suppose that makes us part of Tattoo Nation too.  Chronicling the history of tattoos in modern culture from the jail cells  to convention centres, it follows pioneers Charlie Cartwright, Jack Rudy and Freddy Negrete who changed the acceptable face of ink.

Released on 4th April 2013, it’s one to look out for for aficionados.

http://tattoonation.com/