What We Liked..
Fun gameplay and roster building
Good visuals
Plenty of content
No need to pay to fully enjoy all the PvE content
.. and what we didn't
Grinding can be tedious in the advanced stages...
... unless you're willing to spend money in the cash shop
RAID: Shadow Legends is a free to play fantasy MMO with strong RPG elements. Developed by Plarium, it puts players in control of their party of hero characters in combat.
At the game's core is the PvE progression in which you'll embark on story campaigns, dungeons and faction wars in order to level up your heroes and give them better gear.
Combat is turn-based, complex enough to keep it stimulating on the long run, but also easy to grasp for beginners.
You'll recruit new heroes over time (there are hundreds of them!), each one with its own strenghts and weaknesses that can be enhanched\mitigated through the use of artifacts, potions, glyphs and other items.
Only those who will understand how to maximize the potential of their champions will be able to climb the rankings in the PvP arena, the ultimate objective for the advanced player.
RAID features very good visuals: all of the in-game artworks (characters, locations, items, etc..) are beautiful, and this contributes a lot to the lore and atmosphere of the game.
Overall, RAID is a very good and fun MMORPG.
Plarium was known for making top-notch, though ordinary, strategy browser-games... with RAID, they markedly upped their ambitions. While it does feature some of the mechanics typical of the company's browser-based titles (like the Bastion to grow your hub), its core lies in the brand-new RPG elements of turn-based combat and heroes collection, which is where the real fun begins for MMORPG lovers.
What We Liked..
Graphical presentation and awesome tanks
Very tactical game
.. and what we didn't
Beginners may have a hard time with the game's level of difficulty
Watch the trailer:
World of Tanks is one of the first and only tactical MMOs set in the unstable theatre of World War II with over 150 tanks from either The United States, Germany or USSR.
The system of personalization in the game allows you to try all of them, one by one.
Would you prefer to destroy your enemies with powerful wind gusts aboard a light tank or would you rather crush them with one of the more burly options? Or would you like to take your enemy by surprise with a sniper tank?
It's all a matter of preference in World of Tanks. And each player will have their own.
But simply being at the controls of your favorite tank will not be enough to win. Here, everything is a matter of team-play: you all work together and create the best tactics to lead the team to victory. So what are you waiting for? Play!
What We Liked..
Turn-based combat
Family friendly
Good story
Immersive atmosphere
.. and what we didn't
Dated graphics
Arbritrary side quests
F2P restrictions
Wizard101 is a free to play and family friendly MMO that puts players in the shoes of a wizard. In the graphically pleasing world of Spiral, players will use magic that's determined by their school of choice in turn-based combat using a deck of cards which provides for a fun and strategic combat experience.
Questing in Wizard101 feels like a grand adventure that will be familiar to Harry Potter fans, and the game's story is funny and well written with voice acting to boot.
It may be free to play, but the game does have restrictions on the amount of play areas, so players will have to front some money monthly if they want to access to areas and advance the stories.
As a whole, Wizard101 is great MMO that is suitable for kids and adults, providing a lot of magical fun through it's gameplay and story.
What We Liked..
Magic and superpowers makes things interesting
Retains familiar gameplay
Character system offers long term goals
.. and what we didn't
Premium is pretty expensive
Graphics
CRSED is a grotesque battle royale online shooter that lets you play as one of eight unique hero characters, and each one will offer a different combat style thanks to their skills.
Unlike most generic battle royale games, CRSED has littered its maps with ritual sites offering mythical superpowers and magic abilities (that of course bring advantages to the players who use them), alongside traditional weaponry and... yes, the frying pan.
There's plenty of progression with skill trees for your characters, new seasonal content to keep things fresh, and a cosmetic shop to dress them up when you want to look fancy.
CRSED offers the familiar battle royale gameplay experience with a much-appreciated touch of humour.
What We Liked..
A hack'n'slash done well in the comfort of a browser
Proven and fun gameplay
Graphically fantastic
Lots of action and a vast gaming world
.. and what we didn't
At high levels solo players will have a tough time...
... just like PvP lovers who don't plan to spend real money
Watch the trailer:
UPDATE: since June 2017, the game isn't easily playable via browser anymore. Only a few combinations of browsers and java versions will keep working, but everyone will still be able to play the game after downloading its client.
Drakensang Online is an excellent free hack & slash, published by BigPoint, based on a famous and popular series of role-playing games.
The game has many typical features of a MMORPG (such as skills, level-ups, crafting, etc...), with the welcome addition of a combat system based on combos and dodges, just like a typical third-person action game (anyone who knows the Diablo saga will certainly find it all very familiar).
As well as the ability to carry out the plot quest (either alone or in the company), there are also different PvP modes (including an original "Storm the fortress 6vs6") for those who prefer a competitive game.
The various available classes are well diversified from each other, and ensure a different gameplay depending on which is used, thus ensuring also a great replay value.
One of the highlights of the game is its impressive graphics, capable of displaying a great number of details in a simple web page.
Drakensang Online is really a well-done game: varied, entertaining, technically clean and able to keep the player glued to the PC for hours.
A title that should not be missing in any “free” gamer’s collection.
What We Liked..
Great graphics
Fun gameplay
Good progression System
.. and what we didn't
Uninspired PvE
Heavy reliance on grinding
Steep learning curve
Star Conflict is an MMO set in space. The player customizes and controls his very own fleet. Take command and complete various PvE missions, alone or with a group. Then pit one of more than a hundred different ships against one another in the game’s stellar PvP battles.
Enjoy a deep meta game. Send your ships out to autonomously gather credits and earn influence for your chosen faction. Complete increasingly difficult challenges and claim your spot on the leaderboards. Whatever it is that you like in a video game chances are you will find a sliver of it in Star Conflict.
The true wonder is that Gaijin’s game does all of this while still being one of the prettiest free to play games to date. If you like space, or video games in general, I recommend giving Star Conflict a go. I’m sure you can find something you love in this diverse a game.
What We Liked..
Simple to grasp
Easy mechanics
Short game duration
.. and what we didn't
Long queue times
Low playerbase
Needs more progression mechanics
Lack of customization and maps
Battle Arena is a free to play 2D multiplayer shooter from ShadowWolf Games, available for download on Steam. The game offers a singular mode, five different characters, and over 15 unique weapons that players can use and power up during matches. For a platform shooter, games are tentatively short, and players don't require any FPS experience whatsoever. Unfortunately, progression systems and unique customization options are far and few between, meaning there isn't much to keep you playing beyond the easy matches.
What We Liked..
The Foundry
Battle system
Exploring the Forgotten Realms
.. and what we didn't
Questing can get a tad bit boring
Its technical side
Watch the trailer:
Neverwinter is a new free-to-play MMORPG based off the classic table-top RPG, Dungeons and Dragons. The game immerses the player into the Forgotten Realms, the world in which Dungeons and Dragons takes place.
As usual, at the beginning of the game you create your own personal character, choosing their race, class and even their "faith" and back story. The battle system is rather fluid and is controlled by the player in real time, allowing the rhythm of the game to keep steady.
Neverwinter gives the players even more control of the game with its online quest creation system. Appropriately called the "Foundry", it allows you to make your own personalized adventures which all players are able to play.
Neverwinter is a great MMORPG thanks to the originality of its combat system and quest creator all while still holding to its classical RPG roots. If you've played Dungeons and Dragons, there's no excuse not to try Neverwinter.
What We Liked..
A fun twist on battle royales
Free to play
Fair way to earn cosmetics
.. and what we didn't
Lack of maps and modes
Queue times are long
Optimization issues
Cuisine Royal is a refreshing battle royale game that pits players against each other either in solo, duo or squad groups on a large open map. The game features similar gameplay to other battle royale titles such as gearing up through searching houses and other buildings on the map for weapons, and moving to secured locations when the safe timer is up. Cuisine Royale stands out by letting players use kitchen utensils like cooking pans, pots and chef knives as part of the equipment players can fight with.
For a free to play game, Cuisine Royale offers some limited character progression through its crafting system that lets you earn cool looking rewards like masks and outfits. While there are three sever locations currently, the player base fluctuates and it can be hard to find matches off prime time hours.
What We Liked..
Interesting premise for a game
Good use of MMO elements
Nice visuals
.. and what we didn't
Poor performance optimization
Lacks control customization
RAM Pressure is a turn-based tactical squad strategy game in the mold of XCOM. It's free to play and players will pick either the USA, Russia or China to represent. In RAM Pressure players control squads of soldiers which contain up to 4 soldiers, each varying in terms of class and weapon-set. The objective will be to complete PvE missions and PvP battles to eventually grow their squads through experience points and better gear.