I have to agree - my kids love Roblox and have for quite a while now.  They're ages 8, 10 & 12 (two girls & one boy).

I've been having more fun than I expected over the last few weeks.  I'm starting to lose interest now around level 15 - but will definitely look into the game again when it moves out of beta. 

One thing not to overlook - the sense of humor in this game.  It's pretty funny at times.  I also like how you can do things like change training or auction without actually enteringinto the game. 

"If you are one of the people who find tears delicious, take moment to consider some other changes that we will be making. Permanent bans (the kind that are refreshed with every mirror) will no longer be removed on request. If you manage to nail yourself a permaban, most likely through very persistent douchebaggery, you can kiss Singularity good-bye. And yes, we will ban your alt accounts as well."

Nice & well put. 

I don't know, but going by their wording, it would appear so. 

I'm currently a trial subscriber and recieved the below offer from FE via email yesterday.  I was considering a sub any ways so this offer just made it a better deal for me.  I like how they let you keep the remainder of your trial days.  And the free second copy deal is very good indeed. 

I tried FE last year (April) but didn't stick with it then.  I like the changes they've made to the game since then - it's more polished now.  I've been playing the trial for about a week & half and am still enjoying it.  

----

Welcome to the Apocalypse!

It’s a crazy time and fellow survivors need your help! Don’t let your Wasteland adventures end. For a limited time, you can upgrade your trial account to a premium account today for only 14.99 USD! That’s $5 off a boxed copy! With your upgrade purchase, you’ll receive:

• 30 days of free play time (plus keep any time remaining on your trial!)
• Your choice of an exclusive in-game item
• LIMITED TIME BONUS: Get a FREE SECOND COPY with in-game item for a buddy when you upgrade! (That’s under $7.50 per copy)

Plus, once you upgrade your account, you will have full access to all Fallen Earth features (this includes features currently restricted to trial users, like mail, trading, auctions, vaults and more)!

This special offer is for a limited time and ends January 13.

To take advantage of the offer, when you log into the game you’ll see a pop-up ad prompting you to upgrade your account. Simply click it and follow the process to upgrade your account to premium status.

Trial expired? Log in to your account at https://www.fallenearth.com/user. You will be prompted to upgrade your account by subscribing once logged in.  Simply click the prompt and follow the process to upgrade your account to premium status.This offer only applies to trial accounts and must be used prior to 11:59 p.m. EDT (GMT-5) on January 13, 2011.

See you in the Wasteland!

Great review - thanks.  I've been contemplating coming back also.

*sigh*

Yeah, I'm spending my time having a bit of fun revisiting LoTR (free to play).  But I truly enjoyed the CBT of UWO and can hardly wait for the Open Beta. 

Well, I'm having fun with it.  It's basically a bunch of min-games at this point.  My 10 year old son is finding it fun too.

Thanks Darkholme for letting us know it's open! 

Originally posted by jawsome

Darkfall Online will finnally take its place as the ulitmate large scale fantasy pvp mmo.

 

Troll.

IMHO, there are many good things about the game like the combat system & monster AI.  

But after getting ganked three times in one day, I decided this game wasn't for me.  Go figure. 
 

Originally posted by DrunkWolf

enjoy the best MMO you will ever play.

I constantly find myself mentally comparing new games I try to AC.  It's been quite a few years since I played.  Think I'll give it another go.  Thanks OP for the post.

Great review!  Thanks for taking the time to type that up. 

Your in-game stories are especially amusing.  :-)

 The European release date for Darkfall is January 22nd, 2009.

http://forums.darkfallonline.com/announcement.php?f=29&a=26

This is a combo review from my preteen and me.

After discovering this game via this thread, I decided to head on over and check it out.  I've been playing for the last couple days and have a few comments.  I'm a 43 year old dad who's been playing MMOs since they came online, albeit more casually in the last decade+ due to work, family, etc.  I imagine our family is one of the main demographic targets for W101.

I have an 8 year old son who plays a few different online games such as Fiesta, Toon Town, Eternal Lands, etc.  He'd be on the computer 24 hours a day if we let him.   After my first day of playing, I also created an account for him at W101.   We've been able to play together by loading the game on two computers, even though we're playing from the same IP.

My general impression is W101 is a very good game.   I see a lot of similarities between W101 and Toontown.  If you've ever played TT, you'll be right at home with the play.   There are "safe" sidewalks, battles are the same, quests are similar, and more. 

We like W101 and will probably be subscribing in the near future.  The price is very reasonable.  I like how they have a family pricing option. 

The new tutorial is great.  It really captures the imagination of all players and gives a great feel for gameplay, and of course, sets the plot in motion.

I've never been a huge fan of card based games.  My son on the other hand, loves Pokemon....  need I say anymore.  The card based attack system was intuitive to him. 

One of the highlites of this game are the card attack animations.  They are great and one of the major attractions for my son.  I'd love to see more.

The play areas, especially Ravenwood, is very well done & creative! 

The quest system is solid.  No groundbreaking work here.  It soon turns into a bit of a grind for adults.  Kids find it much less of a grind. 

Something to consider with younger kids is their reading ability.  My son, in third grade, is a pretty good reader.  He can read and understand 95% of the text.  But sometimes he misses a few important details.  The tutorial has audio which really helps.   

Pets are pretty neat but mere window dressing.  They are inexpensive in the game.

I realize I've only been playing for a short while, but it seems to me that there isn't a ot of middle or long term content.  For example, I've not come across a MOB over 2nd level.  But like in ToonTown, MOBs can join in an existing battle, making it harder.  Other players can join in also so it balances out.  The MOB level and player level can't be directly compared; a 2nd level elite MOB can give a 5th level player a difficult time.

I think one of the challenges for a game such as W101 is keeping the game interesting for the long term.   It's easy for kids to loose interest.  A month (one subscription period) is a long time for them.  Kids don't often play every day though.  This is a Thanksgiving holiday weekend and it's been raining & cold - my son has a lot more time this weekend than usual.

There is an area with arcade games.  Playing these games helps refill your potions and gives a bit of gold.  My son has found those games too difficult and doesn't like to play them because of that.  I find them challenging and fun, but not in balance with the rest of the game play.   I'd recommend making them a bit easier and scaling down the rewards. 

Synopsis:  my son loves it - so far.  My girls, ages 5 & 6 find it neat, but aren't interested enough to play.  My wife has been busy doing other stuff (Facebook, Youtube, etc.) but likes the game.  I've been having fun running around with my son doing quests and fighting MOBs.

That's all for now. 

Great review Jon!  You covered all the issues I look at when deciding if I should play a game.  I don't see that very often and I appreciate the time you took to write that up. 

I look forward to reading your articles in the future!

Cheers.

Tycoon Online has removed the limit of logins per day.  Effective immediately, all players can login as often as they want, even without a Gold Membership! 

Tycoon Online is a free browser-based business sim. Each player manages their own virtual company and strives to be the most successful among intense competition. Build factories and produce goods to sell on the market or in your own shops. Build offices to offer various services to the population of the city you are based in. Whatever you do, the world of Tycoon Online changes every day depending on your actions and those of other players. The game plays in real time and your company lives and breathes even when you are not logged on.

www.tycoononline.com

Read the millions of posts discussing this in the PoTBS official forums.  Click on "Community" in the patcher window. 

The latest patcher has problems that are affecting new beta players.  It isn't the player's lack of tech.  It is SOE/FL and all well documented in the PoTBS forums.   For example, the patcher will show that the files downloaded when in reality the files don't exist (503 error) at the d/l location.   

I finally got all the files by downloading them manually and the game crashes (reboots)  my system.  Obviously this MMO is in beta, but I have serious doubts as to the quality of their QA process.  

I still want to play the game.  I'm waiting for the next update and will try again. 

I'm playing and having fun.  I think it is great for a F2P.

Thanks n25philly. 

I realize I could wait a bit and have the price go down.  But I have the money now and would rather not wait  - some unexpected bill will rear its ugly head like a MOB.  I swear the bills sometimes show up like never ending MOB spawns.  ;-)

Hi everyone,

Thanks to the people who took time to reply with constructive comments.  

Why OC?  I find it fun.  I don't leave a comp OC'd all the time.  I like to play around with the settings and learn by doing so.  99% of the time the Processor will be at the normal clock speed.  I draw the comparison to crafting in MMOs.  Some people craft because they have to/want to get a specific item.  I craft because I find the process of crafting fun and interesting -the possibilities and endless combinations. 

CleffyII, thanks for the monitor suggestion.  It seems that the big difference is the HDMI connector, which I wouldn't be taking advantage of in the near future.  I have no consoles or HDTV at home - yet...  But my son, who is 7, will soon tire of his GB.  Hmmm.  The response time is a little higher too with a 6 bit panel.  I'll be giving this some thought - thanks for the suggestion!

n25philly - thanks!  I'll upgrade the RAM.  I've never been a fan of RAID for home use.  (If this was a work machine, I'd agree with you totally.)  My days as a multimedia software developer are past though.  I've always backed up anything important (home videos, etc.) onto DVD and used Ghost (redundant backups).  I've got a few collections that need some attention and need the large second drive to sort them out.

I've been torn between the 8800 GTS 320 versus the 640.  Does anyone have any suggestions about that?

Thanks!