by Phreeoni on April 27, 2019 at 12:51 AM

More than half of all MMORPGs make their debuts in countries somewhere in Asia. Connecting to these games from the Western hemisphere can be quite a hassle due to the sheer distance and often times due to region-based IP blocks. In the past decade, VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) have become such a wide-spread tool, especially to MMO gamers. Through them, it’s possible for anyone to play games from anywhere in the world.  ExitLag is one of a handful of game VPNs that I use to access and play dozens of MMOs coming out in South Korea. For a few bucks, this software has fast connections specifically for MMOs from all over the world. What’s the use of a VPN to MMO gamers? A VPN creates a connection between your computer and a server located elsewhere. This allows you to have a secure and private connection to anywhere in the world while browsing the web or gaming. For gamers in particular, VPNs are mainly used for two reasons; to have lower ping (faster connection) and to access games with IP blocks or other regional restrictions. More and more MMO beta testings such as Smilegate’s Lost Ark are being barbed with region-based IP blocks lately. Nexon is also set to launch a beta for Peria Chronicles very soon and that too will most likely have IP blocks. A hindrance that determined MMO fans will surely get around. What can ExitLag do? ExitLag is a game-based VPN software designed to optimize your connection to the servers of your games. The software creates multiple connections for the user and chooses the route with the lowest ping and fastest connection. If a route goes down, the next fastest automatically substitutes so that your connection remains as fast as ExitLag can provide. Performance: (9.0/10) As a hardcore MMO gamer currently residing in Australia, I have to say that the most crucial part of a VPN is its performance. Connecting from nearly the farthest livable place from North American servers means a consistent 200-500 ping. With ExitLag, that number is drastically decreased. I tested ExitLag with two MMOs, MapleStory 2 and Guild Wars 2. In both games, I was able to drop my ping by at least 200 with ExitLag’s best analyzed route connections. In MapleStory 2, my ping went from an average of 400 to an average of 160. I was able to play and level […] The post ExitLag Ping Booster VPN Review For MMORPGs – Get Around IP Blocks In Minutes appeared first on MMOPulse.

by Nocturne on May 9, 2018 at 1:08 AM

KurtzPel: Bringer of Chaos is a new PvP heavy action combat multiplayer online brawler game that is currently in development by KOG Games, the same people in charge of bringing us the anime MMORPGs Grand Chase and Elsword. KurtzPel is confirmed to be a PC game, but will also allow game-pad controls. Today I’ll talk about my thoughts on the three videos we have on the game, the character creation, the PvP combat and the basics tutorial. KurtzPel Character Creation So in this character creation process, we are first met with a section that directly translates as “the soul” to choose our character’s personal characteristics and things in that nature. After that, we get to make our character’s physical body. The game is fully cel-shaded and of course the characters are too. Right off the bat, I get a Peria Chronicles vibe from this creator with a very wide range for a character’s physical build and weight. Just with the anime-like hairstyles alone, it looks like this game knows exactly what audience they’re aiming for. It seems at least for now, that there’s not a whole of options as far character details.. The hair page looks like there are a dozen or so hairstyles and it’s good to see that there is a color picker instead of a palette of colors to choose from. There are chest and butt adjustments, a key feature I know some players require in your MMOs. There also looks to be accessories we can choose from in the initial customization phase. KurtzPel PvP Gameplay We’ve only been shown PvP gameplay so far, which for now is okay since we know that the game is going to be focused heavily on PvP. However, KoG Games did say that PvE content is also being developed. From the video above, we know right away that there will be a team based arena PvP where players can fight in timed point based matches. It is unknown how many players can be in one arena match. The combat is very flashy, combo based and reminds me a lot of the CC heavy combos of Dragon Nest. Hopefully there will be plenty of CC breaks in KurtzPel because I still have nightmares of minute long CC chains from that game. KurtzPel Basics Tutorial Looking at the skills, there is Q as the ultimate skill which gets charged up by dealing damage […] The post KurtzPel: Bringer of Chaos Character Creation & Combat Gameplay Impressions appeared first on MMOPulse.

by Nocturne on May 9, 2018 at 12:37 AM

Elsword is a 2.5D side-scroll anime-inspired MMORPG published by KOG Games in which players go through a story-driven progression by beating up monsters in challenging dungeons. The game was first released in 2007 for Korean players, in 2011 for North American players and in 2013 for European players. Characters & Progression Starting out, you will be choosing one of twelve total characters. There is a huge variety when it comes to characters in Elsword, with each character having three advancement btanches to choose from at level 15 and more advancements for each of them after that. It’s got an old school type of job advancement based purely on level and tested by a series of missions to complete. While the basis of controls and combat stay the same regardless of choice, each one has its own personality, story, and unique gameplay style tied to their individual purpose in the story of the game. Controls & Combat The journey begins with a tutorial of the very basics like moving with the arrow keys, basic attacks with Z & X, and other keys to activate unique abilities. It is very easy to understand even without the tutorial. Move to your right to move forward, talk to whoever looks important, and do whatever it is they ask of you, from the first map of Ruben and all the way to the last. While it is a side scroll game, Elsword offers a skill based action combat. Combos matter a lot and the ability to perform well-timed dodges through jumps and dashes are huge factors in whether you live or die. It’s not as simple as mindlessly hacking and slashing your way to the end of the dungeon. Monsters also tend to hit very hard, so you have to kill them fast and keep them on the ground with combos on top of having to avoid dozens of attacks. It’s simple early on, and gets progressively harder at a good pace. Story The story takes place in Elrios, a mystical land where Elsword and his allies go on a quest to recover a stolen power gem known as an el gem. You’ll be thrown straight into a story cutscene explaining your place in the world and your character’s reason for going through the game as a member of Elsword’s search party; beating up the bad guys, following leads of the stolen gem stone from one region to […] The post Elsword First Impressions appeared first on MMOPulse.

by Nocturne on May 8, 2018 at 11:56 PM

Alchemia Story is a mobile MMOJRPG by Abosimo. The game features a turn-based combat system where players have to manually cast skills such as magic spells, sword attacks and blocks. One impressive feature of Alchemia Story is its character creation! Check out my gameplay messing around with Alchemia Story’s creator: There are many options for hair style and portions are also customizable in length. Body weight and build have wide ranges. Large, small wide, thin, average. Colors also can be chosen with color pickers instead of only with a palette. Alchemia Story’s character creators is better than some creators on PC games we have seen lately. It allows so many changes in detail! The secondary automated character to help you in your journey in Alchemia Story is also fully customizable and can be male or female regardless of your main character’s gender. The game launched in Japan last year in November. So far, there’s no news regarding an English version. If you’re interested in Alchemia Story, here is its website:  https://www.alchemiastory.jp Here are several in-game screenshots: The post Alchemia Story Character Creation First Impressions appeared first on MMOPulse.

by Nocturne on May 8, 2018 at 11:17 PM

Project Gorgon is an indie developed MMORPG that is focused on providing a high-quality Player vs Environment experience. The game goes against a lot of the typical convenience features seen in other new MMOs to come out in the recent years like auto-pathing and offers a more old-school MMORPG experience reminiscent of games like Asheron’s Call and EverQuest. It’s brought to life by Eric Heimburg and his wife Sandra Powers. Eric Heimburg and Sandra Powers have extensive experience working on MMORPG such as Asheron’s Call 1, Asheron’s Call: Throne of Destiny, EverQuest II and Star Trek Online. Character Creation As with most MMORPGs, we start the game by selecting our race and choosing physical traits. There are three races in total, each with their own racial benefits. The appearance customization is not anything impressive for now. Variety is lacking with just a handful of options for skin and hair. Combat Players are introduced to the combat early on in their journey, which by itself may look simple, but is actually intricate and interesting. The actual fighting is tab-target with no dodging, tumbling, or action controls. It is more reliant choosing which abilities your character will use before a particular scenario. In Project: Gorgon, you don’t get skills tied to your character’s level. Instead your accomplishments and actions in the game grant and improve the stats and abilities you can use in combat or as utilities. For example, leveling fishing grants the ability to jab your enemies with fish guts, fighting with no weapon to level up the unarmed combat tree gives you kicks and punches and learning to use first aid kits allows you heal and cure your allies. It’s pretty cool because, say you want be a mage, you have to actually go out and talk to NPC’s or other players to find out where you can get started with learning magic. Do you want to be an archer too? Find a bow merchant and learn to make arrows. Granted, you cannot you have a bow or sword equipped in your hand already, you’re unable to use unarmed skills that require your hands to be free like punches. The game world is very much alive with your character benefiting and developing from everything around you. One thing I’m not very fond of with combat is that you do need to eat in this game regularly so that your character does […] The post Project Gorgon Game Review appeared first on MMOPulse.