Top 5 Free to Play MMOs and MMORPGs at Gamescom 2011

Vindictus: Extreme Edition

Originally released in North America as a standard MMORPG, Vindictus has recently received a glamorous second coat of paint. Known now as Extreme Edition, the European release of Vindictus has received a fast-paced, action-packed dose of healthy inspiration, and the results speak for themselves.

The general gameplay is simple: you begin playing in a ‘lobby’ area designed to help you find other players, and upon successfully finding a group, you’re transported to a dungeon of your choice where you’ll use one of 5 classes to wreck unlimited action-packed havoc on hundreds of great looking foes. To do this you’ll use a number of different weapons, and the environments are fully destructible, so breaking down a pillar and then throwing at your enemies is just the beginning.

Age of Wulin

Gpotato have been hiding this little gem away for a while now, but the cat’s most definitely out of the bag. Enter Age of Wulin: the first Eastern MMORPG in existence to offer gameplay innovation that could rival the mighty World of Warcraft. 

This one has more new features than I can remember, but the highlights were unforgettable: running along walls, across water and up the side of buildings was a nice start, watching the characters perform perfect martial arts moves during combat was another, and we were keenly interested in the ‘your character becomes an NPC when you log off’ element… but that’s a story for another day.

Firefall

Is this one free? I forget. I definitely hope it’s free; it looks incredible. The basic idea is that it’s a third-person shooter placed within an open-world MMORPG, but while PvE gameplay does take place within the open-world environment, PvP is arena style room-based.

Utilising some impressive cel-shaded visuals, Firefall offers smooth, fast-paced shooter gameplay with level progression and real world exploration, and I’ve been assured that latency isn’t an issue. So far, we’ve only had a chance to try out the PvP gameplay, which, without the chance to upgrade and customise our weapons felt mostly like your average third-person shooter, but from what we’ve heard this one’s going to be a lot of fun.

Wildstar

Come to think of it, I’m not sure if this one will be Free to Play either. Let’s just assume that it will be eventually, and go with that. Wildstar is the latest brain-child online game from NCSoft. Developed by Carbine Studios, Wildstar is a Sci-Fi MMORPG with a cartoonish art style that looks to be bringing a number of new features to the table.

While there’s no official release date as yet, we did have the chance to play around for a few minutes and learn a little about some of the features to come. One that caught my eye was the challenge system, which activates additional challenges upon the completing of a quest, such as completing it again within the allotted time frame. The class creation system also looked to be something unique, though we’ll need to wait another few months before we can talk about it. 

Allods Online (Expansion)

Allods may not be the latest  in F2P MMORPG gaming, but it’s certainly one of the greatest. There’s really no denying it: at present, Allods is about as good as it gets, and with the implantation of some of the features we saw at Gamescom, we've been getting really excited again.

The most obvious updates are those made to the user interface, such as the chat and guild windows. Though there were plenty more than that. Most interestingly was the new upgradeable player housing system, which builds on the old ‘flying ship house system’ by allowing you to change just about every 

part of your ship to make it feel like home.

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Top 10 bosses(from 1up)

Mike Tyson Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! (NES) If Iron Mike winked at you back in 1987, it meant that with the next punch, your world was going to end. If the former heavyweight champion winks at you now, it probably means that he wants to rip out your large intestine and wear it as a tie, or perhaps a tasteful scarf.

Stage 3 R-Type (Arcade, many consoles) Any boss can pop up at the end of a level; this one is the level. A giant battleship that filled the entire screen back when 4-inch-tall monsters ruled the arcades, this bad boy can fry you with its thrusters, smash you into a wall, or straight shoot you down. Respect.

De Rol Le Phantasy Star Online (DC/XB/GC) A barrage of purple energy balls. Gut-piercing tentacles. A skin-scorching laser beam. It's no wonder you need one, two, or three other friends to help take down this unpredictable, water-dwelling worm.

Alma Ninja Gaiden (XB) One of the few bosses from the current generation of consoles to make the list, Alma earns her spot by separating the men from the boys in one of the hardest games ever made. Many a ninja has fallen to this femme fatale, but surviving means that you are among Ninja Gaiden's elite.

Nemesis Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (PS1/DC/GC) "S.T.A.R.S.!" Being hunted room to room for hours by this giant freak scarred us for life (in a good way). Note: Nemesis was knocked down two spots for his appearance in Resident Evil Apocalypse.

Seven Force Gunstar Heroes (Genesis) Back in the day, an action game wasn't an action game unless you broke a sweat battling its bosses. Seven Force, a robot that possessed a whopping seven different forms, helped keep several couch potatoes from sporting love handles (at least for the time being).

The End Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (PS2) The lengthy sniper showdown with the elderly End is the quintessential Metal Gear Solid experience: a lethal game of hide-and-seek where you must use sight, sound, and technology to track down the old fart...and to avoid being caught yourself.

Mother Brain Super Metroid (Super NES) When it comes to epic endings, you can't do much better than the climax of Super Metroid. Mother Brain's first form jogs the memory of battles past, but what unfolds after her true form rises is the perfect finale to an already sublime experience. What's truly amazing about the event is that it happens without the characters speaking a single word.

Psycho Mantis Metal Gear Solid (PS1), MGS: The Twin Snakes (GC) By committing a narrative faux pas and breaking the fourth wall, MGS mastermind Hideo Kojima gave us one of the most uniquely memorable boss fights ever. Psycho Mantis can read our minds (actually, our memory cards), mess with our TV sets, and anticipate our every move.

Sephiroth Final Fantasy VII (PS1) Is it his luxurious flowing hair? His 7-foot-long sword? The green glow of his eyes? We may never know why we love Sephiroth so much, but we do know that thanks to what he does to Aerith (see pic), he's unquestionably the most memorable villain in role-playing game history, and the EGM staff's unanimous No. 1 boss of all time.

MMORPGs With Unreachable Level Caps

Allods Online
Experience curve: Low
Available Levels: 47 levels.
Number of players who reached the level cap: Unknown

Silkroad Online
Experience Curve: Low
Available Levels: 105 levels.
Numbers of players who reached the level cap: None

Trickster Online
Experience Curve: medium
Available Levels: 400 levels, including job levels.
Number of players who reached the level cap: eight players.

Perfect World Online
Experience Curve: Extremely low
Available Levels: 105 levels.
Number of players who reached the Level Cap: None

Kal Online
Experience Curve: Extremely low
Available Levels: 90 levels.
Number of players who reached the level cap, since the game was launched: None

20 Hottest Girls from Video Games

Since “Tomb Raider” had hit the market in 1996, with it’s heroine Lara Croft, it looks like all game developers are just trying to bring us more and more girls. And, you all know what am I thinking of! :) But, it looks like they all had missed a thing: it’s not all about b**bs and a**es. Of course that gamers are mostly male, but girls had to have something more than curves. Anyway, we present you our Top 20 girls from video games. Suggestions are welcome!

# 20 Special Agent Tanya Adams

Game: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Live action girls are hilarious, but in the early years of gaming they were some of the hottest ladies we had the opportunity to play with. Kari Wuhrer stole the role from Lynne Litteer for the Red Alert sequel and we can’t be more thankful that she did. Girls with guns!

# 19 Claire Redfield

Games: Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil: Code Veronica
Any woman that can take down a horde of zombies is A+ by our standards. But if she can do all that while exposing her midriff, she gets a heaping pile of brownie points. Claire not only shows up in RE2 and Code Veronica, but she’s also mentioned in RE3 and featured in the CG Resident Evil movie: Degeneration.

#18 Kaileena

Games: Prince of Persia: Warrior Within, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones
You’d think that the empress of time would have been able to find a little more to wear, but you won’t hear us complain. This gorgeous specimen attempts to kill the prince in Warrior Within, only to be saved by him and restored to power in the third entry of the series.

#17 Princess Daphne

Game: Dragon’s Lair
Anyone old enough to remeber her? After all the insane work you go through to complete Rick Dyer’s Dragon’s Lair, Dirk the Daring is finally reward with a big smooch from the lovely Princess Daphne. When the game was released, Daphne was the best-looking video game heroine around, so we still have a bit of a soft spot for her today. And just look at those curves!

#16 Christie

Games: Dead or Alive series
Christie may be the oldest female on the Dead or Alive roster (no, we’re not counting what we set her “age” to) but the leather-clad assassin looks just fine to us. No, more than fine. Many people assume that she’s the DoA version of Rachel (the similarly-clad female warrior from the Ninja Gaiden games) only to be backed up when NG: Sigma released offering up some matching hairstyles to complement the similar attire.

#15 Jill Valentine

Games: Resident Evil, Resident Evil 3: Nemesis, Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Marvel vs. Capcom 2
S.T.A.R.S. member and professional tube-top wearer, Jill Valentine has the skills to take down even the most righteous of Umbrella Corp’s creations: Nemesis. Her role in the successful series has locked her into the core canon of the franchise.

#14 Sophitia Alexandra

Games: Soul Blade, Soul Edge, Soul Calibur series
Sophitia Alexandra, Grecian warrior and master of the blade, is a force to be reckoned with in the Soul Calibur series. Her small frame, ample bosom, and short skirt provide a number of hottie-tenants that we’re proud to point out for haters and fans alike. Best of all, she’s a total sweetheart that might not reject you outright.

#13 Taki

Games: Soul Blade, Soul Edge, Soul Calibur series
Female ninjas rule our school. They’re quick, efficient, and super-deadly. There’s just one thing we don’t understand about Taki: how the hell does she move around with those two bombshells riding shotgun on her chest? To be honest we don’t really care, but there must be some kind of ninja-magic that supports those behemoths.

#12 Poison

Games: Final Fight series, Street Fighter 3, SNK vs. Capcom: SVC Chaos, SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters Clash
Oh Poison, we’re so confused by you! At first you look so sexy, but then we hear rumors that you’re a post-op transsexual (at least in the North America releases). Does that somehow make you less attractive? We’re not sure! Admittedly, it was only revealed that she was a tranny after Capcom decided it wasn’t right for the Final Fight characters to beat up women, making her one of the most controversial video game characters to date.

#11 Kitana

Games: Mortal Kombat series
Princess of the underworld or not, we’d be proud to serve as her prince. Kitana has her curves in all the right places, and her signature fans will keep you cool when things start to heat up. Just remember: don’t kiss her, you will explode. Like, blow up and cover things in blood explode.

#10 Agent Rayne

Games: Bloodrayne, Bloodrayne 2
She jumps, straddles, sucks, and leaves you wanting more, more, more! Rayne is a half-vampire working for the Brimstone Society and she excels at three things: killing vampires, looking sexy, and looking sexy while killing vampires. Ok, admittedly that may only be two things, but decide for yourself after you see her in action.

#9 Ivy

Games: Soul Calibur series
Ivy scares us. She’s strong, well equipped (talking about her weapon), and loves to wear skimpy clothes. Women like that just can’t be trusted! However much she instills fear in our hearts, we revel in the opportunity to stare at her from the safety of our television sets. She must do double time as a dominatrix!

#8 Faith

Games: Mirror’s Edge
The recently released Mirror’s Edge handed us one of the hottest new video game characters of the year. Faith is a badass messenger that uses parkour to cover the vast rooftops of her city at blazing speeds. You only get a few glimpses of her in the actual game engine and they’re much appreciated when they come along.

#7 Morrigan

Games: Darkstalkers series, Marvel vs. Capcom series, Capcom vs. SNK series, Puzzle Fighter
Now this is a Bat-girl we can appreciate! Morrigan probably appears in more games than any other lady on this list, and we have to lend that to the clothes that can barely keep her all in! With a body like that, we can ignore those wings coming out of her head.

#6 Chun-Li

Games: Street Fighter series, Marvel vs. Capcom series, Capcom vs. SNK series, Super Puzzle Fighter series
She’s the undercover Interpol agent with the killer legs. Chun Li’s female presence and early dominance of the fighting game genre propelled her into the minds of many early fanboys. The character has changed little over time, but we don’t see a reason why she should when her looks are this good.

#5 Mai Shiranui

Games: Fatal Fury series, King of Fighters series, Capcom vs. SNK series, Days of Memories
So which set round objects in this picture are bigger? Mai’s signature outfit is about as low-cut as it could get without some serious rating problems popping up (or out). The female fighter has been called the Chun-Li of the SNK universe, but she manages to one-up the Capcom fighter on our list. How can we help it? Her character art is always so well-drawn!

#4 Ada Wong

Games: Resident Evil series
Ada is fast, lethal, and good with a number of weapons. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s drop dead gorgeous. Her appearance in the Resident Evil franchise had stuck almost strictly to the sidelines until RE4 came along and we were treated to an additional mission crafted just for her. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for the sultry heroine in the future.

#3 Kasumi

Games: Dead or Alive series, Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball series
Kasumi is the flagship protagonist of the Dead or Alive series of games, and it’s for good reason. Her huge breasts, flowing hair, and butt-bumpin’ volleyball skills represent at least half of what the series is all about. It only helps that she’s equally deadly when the fighting portion comes around.

#2 Cammy

Games: Street Fighter series, Marvel vs. Capcom series, X-Men vs. Capcom, Final Fight: Streetwise
Cammy may have a scar on her face, but that doesn’t make her any less attractive to us. This fighter won Capcom’s “Which Fighter do you want to see most in SFIV” contest by a landslide. And we have to hand it to her for her modesty (on her upper torso). Her speed and brilliant legs carry her for miles.

#1 Lara Croft

Games: Tomb Raider series
Lara Croft has been at the heart of most gamers since her first inception. With her unmatched curves and sexy british accent, she single handedly made video game characters a viable fantasy for players everywhere (hell, my dad printed out a picture of her nude just to test out his new color printer. You know, back when those were new). Unfortunately, her recent outings have left a bit of a bad taste in our collective mouths that we just can’t shake when we think about the classic, gun-toting heroine.

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