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K2-Network and GamersFirst have a pretty unique company model - really cool and well done games that are completely free to play. If you want to buy extra goodies to customize your experience, well, that will cost you a little bit of money, but the overall experience of the game is free.
Now, I know what you are thinking, "A free game can't be all that good. It's probably low quality and they didn't put much into the making of it." Well, there's where you'd be wrong. While visiting GamersFirst's booth at E3 2009, I saw three games, each appealing to fans of different genres. First, there was Taikodom, a game being developed in Brazil by Hoplon Entertainment. Based on an existing series of books and graphic novels, Taikodom looks like a combination of the best parts of Eve Online and Jumpgate, offering players the ability to explore an enormous persistent world. Even while the player is offline, the world is changing around them. If a battle is started while you are playing, it may rage on long after you depart. Begin the game by choosing your avatar and customizing him/her completely, then choose your career path, whether it be fighter pilot, explorer pilot, bomber pilot or freighter pilot, and you're off! US release is set for November 2009.
Next up was Victory: The Age of Racing, set in the 60's - the 2060's, that is. Victory is a fantasy Formula One MMO racing game taking place in a post-apocalyptic world where the tracks are all set in abandoned locations. There's an enormous amount of customization available with the ability to buy rims, engines, etc. that will affect your gameplay, and won't be just for aesthetics' sake. RPG aspects will include a levelling system ranging from 1-60 where you can spend points earned on different attributes. There will be 4 zones with 5 tracks in each for a total of 20 playable tracks. You'll be able to create a racing team online via GamersFirst, earn achievements, and buy tons of modifiers for your car in the virtual market. Look for Victory in Q1 2010.
Finally, there was Parabellum, an MMOFPS based on Unreal 3 technology. Parabellum is all about global online warfare in a massive battle of good versus evil. Battles begin with 12 maps in New York, but eventually spill out across the globe. First off, you decide which side you will be on, whether it be the Counter Terror Force or the Syndicate mercs. Then, you can choose from a bevy of themes for your look including Punk, Mercenary, Military, American Militia, Gangster, S. Korean Special Forces or any combination in between. Want your player to wear a pink plaid skirt and sport a yellow mohawk? You can do that! The developer told me that there were septillion options to customize. Uh, that's a lot of options.
You'll be able to level-up and gain access to more items, and earn in-game money by performing kills, campaigns and objectives. Earning in-game money is the only way to get weapons, however, so a noob with a pocketful of cash can buy cool accessories, but he can't jump in the game and buy the best weapon and kick ass; it must be earned.
There are 15 campaigns that can last for about an hour each and are designed for a maximum of 16x16 players, however they are optimized for 5x5. Parabellum will be Xbox 360 controller compatible and will feature Campaign Mode, Team Death Match, and Search and Destroy missions. Look for full reviews when each of the games launch. |
