The past month or so has seen the release of, and our review of, several new online, multiplayer strategy games. Certainly some are more innovative than others, some offer better usability, and some are just…well…at least new games to you and me. There are a few other MMORPGs of the non-strategy variety and a hybrid that could also be worth trying. Without further ado, let’s get this game show started.
As are expectedly pretty common additions, fantasy and medieval historical themed worlds dominate the browser based strategy gaming space. Castle Empire is a pretty cool rendition of the sim/strategy series, Settlers. There’s a bit more to the PvE stages of the game which is great for casual players and is a good learning experience for those that really want to get serious about the game. Golden Age has some typical strategy components but adds in some nifty RPG features. It’s a good choice for someone looking for a new hybrid. 1100AD is very similar to games like Tribal Wars and Travian but does a few things better and a few things worse. On the bad side, it’s mainly slow to load and sometimes unintuitive. However, it boasts greater strategic and tactical options than several free online strategy games. So if you can stomach it’s flaws you may find a hidden gem. I’ll also mention Godfather: Five Families. It’s nothing to special, but if you enjoy the Godfather movies and strategy games it could be worth playing.
Keeping up with the trend of new browser game releases comes Crystal Saga. The cute, cartoon style graphics are very impressive for a browser MMORPG. Crystal Saga offers an AFK leveling system which I’m generally not fond of, but is a great addition for a browser MMORPG. Crystal Saga is pretty generic feeling as far as MMORPGs go, but features like AFK leveling, fast travel, and pet evolution could really go a long way for a gamer looking for a easy, browser experience.
There are also a couple of newer large, download required releases. The first, Elsword, is a 2D side scrolling anime, action MMORPG. That short description should pretty much sell you on or turn you off from Elsword. Like other side scrolling MMORPGs, it’s heavily instanced based. It does provide harder challenges, and the animations on skills and special moves is impressive. Rise of Immortals will close out this blog post. It’s a MOBA/MMORPG hybrid where the majority of gameplay revolves around matches similar to Defense of the Ancients and League of Legends. Rise takes another step in this direction by leveling up individual champions to create further persistence between games as well as providing a graphical hub world for people to walk within between matches.
Hopefully one of these MMORPGs sounds like it will be worth a try and if not, there are plenty of other MMORPG choices available.