MMORPG.com reviewer and columnist Jaime Skelton writes this look at ChangYou's F2P MMORPG, Dragon Oath.
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The free-to-play market is saturated with martial-arts themed MMOs. Sometimes termed 'import' MMOs, these games often have a common theme of classes based on Eastern philosophies and known martial-arts schools (Taoist and Shaolin, for example). Often cited as examples of poor localization in both game content and business philosophy, it's hard for an MMO some of these games to have a positive impact with consumers. But is it possible for one to not only do so, but to stand out from the crowd? Dragon Oath may just be the one.
Of Wuxia and MMOs
Dragon Oath is a free-to-play MMORPG from ChangYou.com, deeply saturated in the aforementioned martial-arts theme known as “Wuxia.” A genre of Chinese fiction, Wuxia often encompasses the idea of the noble martial artist, who comes from low birth and does heroic deeds, becoming a legend. It's a perfect story style for an MMORPG, whose storylines typically take a new player from “zero to hero” throughout the course of their adventures. As can be expected, it also works very well in its native country; the game had nearly a million concurrent users before it even launched in the United States and currently has over 75 million registered players worldwide.
Read Reviewing Dragon Oath.
