Credits to Lisa Shea Anarchy Online came out after the trilogy of Ultima Online / EverQuest / Asheron's Call. It learned from many of their mistakes and right out of the gate presented a fun, immersive world.

There is more 'context' to this game than to most of the other MMORPGs out there. You are on a mining planet which a corporation is trying to get rich from. You can join the side of that corporation, the side of the rebels fighting against them, or be neutral in the middle.

Other MMORPGs featured varying levels of customization - maybe the skin, maybe a hairstyle. Anarchy Online went full tilt into this fun and let you customize just about ANYTHING. Choose which race you want to be. Choose from a wide range of classes, each with its own skills. Choose skin color, facial details, and much more. As this is a future world, there is "nano-technology". This means you can enhance your abilities both by using the skills you want to do better in, or enhancing yourself the scientific way. The training missions are good and get you involved in your world. There's no "hunting for friends" - you are already starting as part of a big team that has a clear agenda. You can then choose to work on missions to help your team out, or just wander around and do what you want. You can form groups within your team to take on special challenges, or you can go it alone. The graphics are great, from the wildernesses to the big cities to the swamps and marshes. There's both the high-tech of a future world and the low-tech of the planet you're on. The monsters are really great, and in the training area you run into "L33Ts" who spout off hilarious L33T-Speak!! While other MMORPGs tend to have lots of people who are in it for "gaining lots of points" and don't care much about actual roleplay, Anarchy Online is great for its level of roleplay. People really do get into their characters, and talk about the aims of the group and the missions involved instead of going on "experience point quests" to "get my character to the next level." We've played every MMORPG that has come out to test it and get screenshots, Anarchy Online is one of the few that we actually kept an account for and continued to play. We still find it great fun, and the constant improvements make the world even better as it matures.

The game is turn-based, which differentiates it from other games and is the reason I've grown to love the game so much. It's just a completely new genre of gaming compared to your point-and-click games. Atlantica also has so many things to offer in-game. Great game play, a great market system, guilds, nations, guild dungeons, nation dungeons, shadow dungeons, PvP (Player vs Player), PvM (Player vs Monster), crafting, many characters to choose from, etc. I will be going over some of the major points during my review of the game. The Game play: As previously stated, the game is a turn-based game. Many people may think that it's a slow-paced game because of this, but it's not. You can hire up to 8 Mercenaries along with your main character that you create at the beginning. You control all of them during battles. There is also an in-game encyclopedia, at least that's what I like to call it. You can find a ton of information from it, from NPC locations, to item information, to mercenary information, etc. It proves to be extremely helpful in many situations. The Game play: 9/10 The Atlantica World: The world of Atlantica is similar to the world we live in. It takes place in many different counties and continents in the world. From Northern Europe to Northeast Asia to North America.

                                      Credits to PhilosophicalGamer What is The Battle for Wesnoth?   The Battle for Wesnoth is a turn-based strategy game. The Battle for Wesnoth has a unique sort of turn-based strategy approach in its design, with deceptively simple game mechanics which easily lead to complex choices in the game, as to how you should marshall your troops in battle, which troops you should seek to level up, and what kind of an army you should seek to build as you progress through the different scenarios in the game. There are six factions in the game, each with unique units and strengths and weaknesses. The game is incredibly well-balanced, and it is therefore a really excellent multiplayer game, in which player skill makes the most difference in the outcome of head-to-head multiplayer battles. The scenarios and battles play out on a hexagonal grid, with each unit having one attack per turn, and a certain number of movement points. Each unit deals out a specific type of damage, and each unit has specific resistances or weaknesses to each damage type. Addionally, each unit has a certain defensive bonus for each terrain type. The bonuses and weaknesses for each particular unit varies widely, and some units are quite ineffective or quite effective against specific units. The Battle for Wesnoth Factions & Scenarios Rating  The factions in The Battle for Wesnoth are fun to play, and they are conceptually interesting as well. There are the Rebels, who have mostly Elvish units, the Knalgan Alliance, which is mostly Dwarves, the Loyalists, which is a human faction, the Northerners, who have orcs, goblins, and trolls, the Undead, and the Drakes, a faction with mostly flying units. As you can see, there is great variety in the factions, and playing them provides for a very dynamic in-game experience. The scenarios in the game are each well-crafted, with interesting storylines and unique battle objectives for each map in the scenario. Throughout each scenario your units from the previous map carry over, and units are also able to level up to be more powerful, so this feature can make battle decisions much more critical, as losing a unit with a lot of experience in the later maps can be a big deal, making or breaking your chances  Share  digg  del.icio.us  StumbleUpon  reddit for success in later maps. The game allows for players to create their own scenarios, and the playerbase has done a great job of creating a variety of interesting scenarios to play. There are also multiplayer maps which have been created by the playerbase, which get a lot of playtime on the official servers. Multiplayer Battle for Wesnoth   Once you've played a few scenarios, you may have a hankering to test your skills against more sentient opponents. The computer AI is definitely a worthy opponent, but there's nothing like going head-to-head against a human opponent to really test your mettle in a strategy game. The good news is that The Battle for Wesnoth definitely does not disappoint in this regard. The battles in this game have a sort of chess-match feel to them, with concepts like holding ground and feinting advances and other complex battle strategies actually playing a role in the outcome of each battle. There are scenarios in which 2 players go against 2 other players, and teamwork can make or break these battles as well. A battle can last anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 hours, depending on which map you are playing. Additionally, there are multiplayer cooperative maps, some with modified rulesets which have been created by the playerbase, which can be an interesting experience in their own right. Overall, the multiplayer aspect of The Battle for Wesnoth provides top-tier turn-based strategy gameplay. I'd venture to say that it is the best turn-based multiplayer gaming that I've experienced, and considering that this is a free game, this fact really is a testament to the power of open-source game design, when it is done right. Game Mechanics & Balance Rating  It really is remarkable, how complex a game The Battle for Wesnoth really is, considering that hundreds of people from around the world have contributed to designing the game. The game mechanics are tightly woven, the game is incredibly well-balanced, and it can rightly be said that this game is so well crafted that it simply feels completely, totally solid, in terms of delivering gameplay which feels complete. It doesn't feel like anything needs to be added to the game, and everything that is there is solid. Just like Chess is a game whose gameplay has been perfected, I think it can be said that The Battle for Wesnoth has been fine-tuned to a point of gameplay perfection. It is a testament to what is possible when people work on something with the right approach. Overall Gameplay Rating  When it comes right down to it, The Battle for Wesnoth really does deliver the complete turn-based strategy package. On top of this, there is always more new content being added to the game, so it's conceivable to think that this game will be even more complete, and even more perfect in 5, or 10, or 15 years. There is a rabid fanbase for the game, and the official servers always have plenty of competition for multiplayer matches. The fact that this game is free pretty  Share  digg  del.icio.us  StumbleUpon  reddit much takes it all over the top, to the point where it's simply an example of the very best things that can come out of the discipline of game design.

                                               Credits to  PhilosophicalGamer   MMORPG gamers have been calling for some time now for game makers to wake up and start designing MMOG's with fresh gameplay. With WoW clones coming out of the woodwork and nothing new coming down the pike, many MMORPG'ers have grown jaded by the total lack of innovation in the genre. The good news is that finally someone listened. nDoors has stepped up to the plate and delivered us a MMORPG with truly fresh gameplay. It feels nothing like the standard MMORPG, with it's unique version of Japanese-RPG style combat taking the in-game experience to new levels of strategic depth. The game was originally created for a Korean audience, but nDoors recently released an english language version of Atlantica Online. The nDoors English servers are regularly patched and are still in open beta, but the game plays like a full release MMORPG.   The PvP and PvE aspects of the game are both executed brilliantly. I'm 50 levels in on the game, and the gameplay has only grown on me and drawn me further into the experience. The dungeons and areas of the game are conceptually quite interesting, and the Eastern theme is a very refreshing change from the usual orcs & goblins fare. More on the Japanese-RPG Style Combat Combat in Atlantica Online is quite similar to the combat in a Japanese RPG. You have command of a maximum of 9 units, called mercenaries, in the game. There are 17 unique mercenaries in the game, some of which are not available until you reach a certain level. Much of the strategy in Atlantica Online consists of trying to decide which mercenaries to have in your party. Once you've chosen your mercenaries, you must decide where you want to put them in your formation, based on the different strengths, weaknesses, and abilities of the different mercenaries. Once you've chosen a party, the strategic depth extends into the actual in-game combat, as well. Winning or losing a battle hinges largely on how well you marshal your forces in AO, especially in serious boss battles, or PvP battles. One mistake in your party formation or in choosing which mercenaries to use in a single round can determine your ultimate victory or defeat. Much More than a Free MMORPG People oftentimes associate free MMORPGs, especially free Korean MMORPGs, with poor quality game design. Atlantica Online totally blows the top off of this old boxed-in way of thinking, as it is better than the majority of pay-to-play MMORPGs, even games like Lord of the Rings Online, Everquest 2, or World of Warcraft. This really is the first MMORPG with truly strategic battles, and the deep strategy involved in party customization adds a second layer of tactical depth to the game. nDoors could clean house with this game if they made it pay-to-play, but we can only hope that they won't, and that AO will be free for a good time to come. Combat Rating  The combat really is much better than in most MMORPG's, with deep strategic and tactical choices to made throughout the game, both in individual battles and in assembling the best party for PvE and PvP play. Value Rating  This is essentially a free-to-play MMORPG that plays like one with a monthly fee. More than this, the game is better than most monthly fee games. While it does have an item shop, the items that can be purchased do not effect game balance, and for the most part they are non-essential items for most players. Community Rating  I'm constantly surprised at the quality of the community, considering that this is a free-to-play game. I think that perhaps the somewhat cerebral nature of the game scares away the type of folks who usually ruin a MMORPG's atmosphere. The community is top-notch and enjoyable to play with. Connectivity Rating  I've experienced absolutely no lag in Atlantica Online. The servers are always responsive, and the graphics don't require too much computer horsepower, while still looking decent enough to be enjoyable on the eyes. Another 5/5 rating. Atlantica Online is really a great game to get into for MMORPG gamers, and anyone else who enjoys a challenging but fun game to kick around with for awhile. Atlantica Online bucks the stale MMORPG conventions which tend to cause a fair number of players to steer clear of the genre. It really is a great game, especially considering that it is free.

        Credits to Simon