Games to download

LOTRO is a fun MMORPG for the casual RPG player or the Tolkien fan. The world has plenty of content with many skirmishes to be had, dungeons to explore and raids to wage or defend against. Unfortunately, a lot of this content requires either spending real money or an absurd amount of time to unlock.

The quests of the game and the environments they take place in are visually engaging - picturesque and sweeping or dark and creepy, but always atmospheric.

Hardcore gamers or those looking for a game with challenging end game content, however, should look elsewhere.

After making several games exclusively for the Korean market, Gameforge has finally released Elsword to the rest of the world, breaking it out from 4 long years of exclusivity for our Asian counterparts.

The game follows a fairly linear plot, with lightweight gameplay that’s just entertaining enough for beginners without the demands of complex gameplay or narrative. Starting up, you choose from six characters who must immediately go off in search of fragments of the El stone, a powerful crystal that brings life and prosperity to the land.

The gameplay itself is a mix of action and side-scrolling platforms where, within various dungeons, you’ll punch up monsters with a flick of your fingers across the keys.

Graphically, the game puts up a cheery disposition but really lacks in detail, appearing more like a badly animated comic strip than an actual 3D game up to the standard of modern titles.

Elsword is a game that’s lightly fun but far from excellent, catering mainly to those who are happy to make do for free and spam punches at any beast or human within reach. You know what they say - without infamy and without praise.

Piercing Blow is a free-to-play MMOFPS from Korea, where it’s been out for a while. It’s low on character customisation, but high on map variety, offering several modes across over 40 maps for you to explore and kill people on. The majority of the environments and scenarios are completely without novelty for any experienced player - all the old favourites are here.

While the game may not feel the need to add anything new to an already successful formula, it does offer fairly decent shooter gameplay. Maps are well designed, even if the Counterstrike-era graphics are mostly ugly, and with a small, undemanding file size, Piercing Blow runs smoothly.

A wealth of guns and weapon upgrades are available to those willing to pay real money for them, a factor that significantly unbalances the playing field. The only other way to unlock decent gear is by playing and winning daily tournaments. Basically, if you’re not already a skilled shooter or ready to pay for a better gun, you’re not going to make it here.

Satisfy your thirst for destruction with Armored Warfare, a modern day military game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Mail.Ru.
An open beta was launched on October 8, 2015 with optional premium accounts coming soon.

Armored Warfare has been noted for its competitive co-op battles and use of modern day tanks and artillery.
In this free-to-play MMO, you have the opportunity to take on your environment or your fellow players. The chance for ultimate destruction is guaranteed.

➔ Main points:

• Captivating Story-line
• Beautiful Next-Gen Visuals
• Dynamic Destructible Environment
• Engaging Team-Based Combat
• Customizable Equipment

Dragomon Hunter is a free-to-play downloadable MMORPG.
The title presents a typically oriental concept, with deliberately unrealistic characters and a vibrant and colourful game world.
The gameplay is typical of Korean MMORPG, made of fairly repetitive missions with plenty of farming and unrestrained grinding.
To diversify things a bit, there is a system of recruiting defeated enemies, through which we capture monsters and take them back to help us in combat.
Dragomon Hunter, far from representing an excellence in the genre, has proved to be an effective pastime. It's not without flaws, but still manages to entertain and amuse. It is recommended especially if you have a soft spot for the atmosphere and style of manga.

➔ Main points:

• Classifcal Korean MMORPG released in 2015
• Be prepared to face long grinding sessions.
• Colorful, inspired and well-done cartoon \ anime graphical style.
• Defeat your enemies and have them become your pets!

Orcs Must Die! Unchained is one of the latest Tower Defense Games in which your aim is to repel a hoard of orcs trying to breach your defenses and reach the innermost area of your base.
A number of paths are accessible to your orc enemies which they can use to point their offense in an effective way.
On the contrary, you have mines and other repelling items to stop them and, in turn, try to breach their base.

Orcs Must Die! Unchained allows you to team up with your friends or go solo with a number of tactics available for either option.
Just like other similar games, a number of classes are available for character selection with each class having a unique set of abilities.
In-game purchases can also be made to upgrade your characters and pose an even more serious threat to your opponents.

➔ Main points:

• 2015 MOBA with an amazing humoristic and entertaining style.
• Set-up deadly traps and kill all the orcs trying to destroy your base, and breach theirs in turn!
• Five available classes of characters.
• Can be played solo or co-op.

Savage Hunt - Dragon's Prophet is a relaunch of the original Dragon's Prophet. All the dragons are now free, and the game is the culmination of five ears of bug fixes, changes, and new content.

➔ Main points:

• Lots of dragons to tame.
• Action-based combat is fun.
• Large-scale Frontier PvP.

Winning Putt is a golf simulator set in a realistic environment, published by Bandai Namco and developed on CryEngine. Among other features, it allows players to customize their characters' appearance and gear, and offers three classes to choose from: Power, Accuracy, and Balance.

Players level up and earn gold by completing challenges that allow them to purchase new items. The game's shop offers new golf balls and bags, along with sets of clubs to optimize the gameplay. Factors such as the wind's direction, the slope of the course, the characters' mentality and stamina, and the club equipped define the players' success in each session.

Consumable items, such as edibles and GPS mini-maps, are stored in the golf bag and can be used to revitalize energy or have a better view of the terrain, respectively.

➔ Main points:

• Club joining bonuses
• Rich and realistic environments
• Diverse variables that can affect the ending result
• PVP tournaments

Heavy Metal Machines is a 4v4 vehicle PVP game that's set in a post-apocalyptic world. Players compete in team matches using one of three car classes, and the objective is for one car on either team to pick up and deliver the bomb to destroy the opponent's base, while the other cars get to work on stopping each other. Matches are fast-paced and incredibly fun to play thanks to the game's one of a kind mechanics.

There are two game modes currently which is a little low, but more will be added in time. The game also uses progression mechanics for players to earn currency to gain ranks and purchase better performing cars from the in-game store without spending real money. When it comes to presentation, Heavy Metal Machines scores very high points for graphics, setting and atmosphere. Overall, it's a fantastic free to play MMO that is likely to keep players hooked for a long time to come.

➔ Main points:

• Unique concept that's very original and fun to play
• Great visuals and audio for a free to play game
• Wide selection of vehicles
• Unobtrusive cash shop without pay to win elements

Marvel Heroes has a strong foundation with Brian Michael Bendis (author of Marvel comics) and David Brevik (designer of Diablo) on the development team. Although the game didn’t get off to a great start in open beta , Gazillion has since listened to players and done a much needed overhaul. And the effort was worth it - this is a very entertaining game and if Gazillion continues to be as responsive as they’ve been so far, it’s only going to get better.

The gameplay is fun and the story will appeal to many people, drawing as it does from the rich and complex Marvel universe. Add to this a well-balanced cash shop and this title is a must for Action RPG fans and Marvel fans!