The Elder Scrolls Online is an upcoming MMO from Zenimax Online with one goal in mind: to bring two types of players together — the Elder Scrolls crowd, used to the great games of Skyrim, Morrowind, and Oblivion, and then there is the MMO crowd, used to all the great MMOs of the last 10 or so years such as World of Warcraft, Rift, and Guild Wars 2.

So if you fall into either of those two categories, boy does Zenimax have a cool game for you!

Everything you need to know about the The Elder Scrolls Online is right there in the name, it’s Elder Scrolls, but online. When the teams set out to make the game, all they wanted to do was make strategic, real-time combat, a lot of world immersion, and a landscape that rewarded exploration.

But in order for all that to be brought together, you need really great social systems. The Elder Scrolls Online is set about 1,000 years before Skyrim, but not only is it just a thousand years before Skyrim, but it draws on all the legends and everything that you’ve read about in the books that you find in Elder Scrolls games. So Zenimax has twenty years of lore to drop on.

Zenimax is making sure that Morrowind, Cryodill, and Skyrim feel like they do in Elder Scrolls three, four, and five. The Art styles are right in line with those titles. So now you can explore all of Tamriel! You can return to place you’ve seen before, and you can explore new places that you’ve never been.

If you’re a fan of the combat in the past Elder Scrolls games, you’ll feel right at home here. This is an MMO with an Elder Scrolls combat system. Moving your mouse will make you look around and aim your weapon, you can tap your left click to attack and hold it for more power, hold your right-click to block, and of course sprinting, crouching, and sneaking around all play a vital role in the game as well.

What sounds even more exciting is that all the characters in the game are designed so that hundreds of them can be on the screen at one time. And you’re going to have lots of customization options as well to make your character look unique. You’ll find Dwarven armors, Daedric armors, Elven armors; basically all the types of armor styles and customization options you’d come to expect from an Elder Scrolls game and Elders Scrolls lore.

Now, for any MMO player out there, you have to agree with me on the fact that by far, the worst experience of any online game is at its launch is when you’re trying to find your friends, you can’t find them, so you end up creating a character one server and then you later find out that everyone else is on another server, and then you either have to pay to move all of your characters over there, or painfully start from scratch.

That experience is not good and Zenimax has a plan to deal with that chaotic mess.

In the Elder Scrolls Online, there will be no servers or shards, or whatever they may be called. Zenimax has developed a new technology they call Mega-server where all the players are on one server so all your friends are right there, you just create a character, you click play and you go.

The game is smart about where to put you, it will put you in “game-spaces with your friends, with your guild-mates, it’s a way to be connected with everyone and the game figures out where to put you without making you do a thing. If you’ve heard of Turbine’s dynamic layering with the Lord of the Rings Online, the concept is similar here in Elder Scrolls, except here, it actually works…

With the Elder Scrolls Online, one of the big things is that you’ll be able to get together with your friends and overcome obstacles. So things like public dungeons, heroic dungeons, but most importantly, when you take part in these events with your friends, or even with just strangers, you aren’t competing for resources, you’re all working together overcome something and you get equal credit for it.

And as a player, you are able to start by picking one of nine races, you’ll be able to pick a class, but that is just a start though. From there, all the choices you make with quests, all the choices you make, from the abilities you choose, to which weapons you use, or which armor you use, really help make your character stand out in the world.

The basis for the customization in the Elder Scrolls Online is that you can use whatever weapon or armor type you actually want to use. You can play as a heavy armored character whose a tank with a bow, or you can play as a mage who uses a two-handed weapon, or you can play as a sneaky guy who runs around healing people.

But with the combination that you selected out of what armor type you used, what weapon type you used, and what class you use, is what really creates a unique character experience for you.

One of the things you are going to be able to do that is going to make you stand out is that you have perks. Perks allow you to become a werewolf, or a vampire, or maybe even have special pets. But it’s not just about that, there are other things like how you increase your stamina, how you increase your magicka, or how you increase your health, they’re really taking you from your first class choice and makes you stand out because you’re saying these are the things that are important to me, this is the way I want to play, this is the role I want to take in combat.

Questing in Elder Scrolls Online was built around a pretty simple concept and that was Zenimax wanted the player to explore. They wanted that when the player explored for them to be able to see something around the corner and say “oh, well I was on this quest, but now I see something over there that’s really interesting.”

So players have this decision point of “which thing do I do next?” And that’s really where Zenimax wants the players to go. It’s not “what do I do next,” but it’s “which one of these things do I do next?”

The way players will really find quests in the Elder Scrolls Online is through exploration. As they wander around the world, players have an on-the-screen compass that really points out that the area they’re in is an opportunity or should have some points of interest to you based on what you’ve done in the past.

When players find a point of interest in the world, that is really where all the story content is and they’re an opportunity for the player to make a change in the world. An example of that is a werewolf invasion and when the player gets there, they fend off the werewolf invasion, save the town, and every time you come back to that village afterwards, you’ll be remembered and thanked by the villagers for your heroic actions.

Once you’ve hit level 50, that is where the game really opens up. At this point you’re jumping into some PVP action, or going into a heroic raid with your guild and your friends. Or maybe you might go into an adventure zone, which is Zenimx’s way of getting players into a zone where you can play solo, you can play with a small group, or you can play with a really large group to overcome obstacles.

PVP in Elder Scrolls Online is focused around taking various structures in Cyradill from Oblivion. The space there is very large, thus creating a perfect setting for having three alliances fighting each other. During this timeline, Imperial cities are up for grabs, and there is no emperor, so players are going to be fight with trebuchets, catapults, all kinds of weaponry to take and hold keeps, structures, and resource locations around the keep to actually get the opportunity to crown one of themselves as an emperor.

It’s really important to Zenimax that PVP isn’t just a veteran-like game. They want it to be something that people can do from the beginning, because you have to be comfortable in getting into PVP. So Zenimax is making sure that everybody is on equal footing, so that even at level 10, you can go into the PVP area and really have a great experience and a good time.

Closing Comments

With a game the size of Elder Scrolls Online, it’s really hard to give one demo, one video, one presentation, to list everything about the game. So what you’ve read in this article are the basics. But I can tell you one thing for sure, all these elements mentioned are going to come together to potentially make the next great online RPG, and from what I’ve seen so far, Zenimax may not be far off.

I love games. I’m usually jittery with excitement when I finish one…but rarely is it because of the story. This is probably due to the fact that most developers tend to put all of their effort into the gameplay part of it, because heck, it’s a game! Why would we play it if it weren’t fun? The story elements are usually just along for the ride.

But I want to know more. I want the scoop on this character’s background, so I can find out why he’s the good guy and the other guy is the bad guy. Where are they from? Why is the world being invaded by another mysterious alien horde? With books, if written well, I can get all of that. Plus, they can even be fun!

That’s why I also love books…especially if they tie in with some of my favorite video games.

Below are four of what I think are the best books are out there for gamers. You should definitely consider picking them up at your local bookstore or, if you’re too cool for that now, the Amazon Kindle bookstore.

Halo: Cryptum

Why do I need this?

Any fan of the Halo franchise needs this book. Set in the Halo 4 universe and staring a young rebellious Forerunner, the new antagonists up against Master Chief, Cryptum offers a glimpse of what’s going to happen in the upcoming sequel. If you’re a fan of the game’s lore, then this book is sure to please.

The Story (from the publisher):

100,000 years ago, the galaxy was populated by a great variety of beings. But one species — eons beyond all others in both technology and knowledge — achieved dominance. They ruled in peace but met opposition with quick and brutal effectiveness. They were the Forerunners — the keepers of the Mantle, the next stage of life in the Universe’s Living Time.And then they vanished. This is their story.

My take:

Though Greg Bear’s writing style took a bit to get adjusted to (big vocabulary and wordy descriptions seem to be the author’s forté), there are still numerous plot twists, mysteries, and an ending you’re sure to never forget.

Dead Space: Martyr

Why do I need this?

For those who want to know more about the Dead Space universe and why it features so many people turning into monsters, this is a great place to start.

The Story (from the publisher):

A universe cursed with life after death. It all started deep beneath the Yucatâan peninsula, where an archaeological discovery took us into a new age, bringing us face-to-face with our origins and destiny. Michael Altman had a theory that no one would hear. It cursed our world for centuries to come. This, at last, is his story.

My take:

Don’t bother if you haven’t played the games. The entire plot would probably make little sense to you (if any). However, by the time I put the book down I had a much better understanding of what the heck had just happened in my earlier playthrough of Dead Space.

Uncharted: The Fourth Labyrinth

Why do I need this?

Fans of the series will be treated to a nice little story that doesn’t really affect the games at all, meaning it can be read at any time.

The Story (from the publisher):

Uncharted follows the adventures of daring thief Nathan Drake who is in search of ancient ruins, priceless artifacts,and untold riches. Sony’s Uncharted series has sold nearly four million copies to date. Known for breathtaking action sequences, deep and inventive mystery, and amiable characters, Uncharted makes its natural leap to print,much to the excitement of fans everywhere.

My take:

This is yet another fun Nathan Drake tale that will keep you occupied for hours. If you’ve played the games before, then you know just what kind of attitudes to expect from each of the characters. Unfortunately, newcomers to the franchise will feel a bit lost and left in the dark since there is very little character development whatsoever.

World of Warcraft: Rise of the Horde

Why do I need this?

The book is enjoyable, the plot is pretty solid, and the characters are spot on. The author even claims to play World of Warcraft, and it shows, since she obviously knows her stuff.

The Story (from the publisher):

Long ago, on the idyllic world of Draenor, the noble orc clans lived in relative peace with their enigmatic neighbors, the draenei. But the nefarious agents of the Burning Legion had other plans for both of the unsuspecting races. The demon-lord Kil’jaeden set in motion a dark chain of events that would succeed not only in eradicating the draenei, but forging the orc clans into an single, unstoppable juggernaut of hatred and destruction.

My take:

Any fan of Warcraft will be pleasantly surprised by the depth of lore that Rise of the Horde jumps into. This is one of my favorite novels based on Blizzard’s epic franchise, and I wish all video game books were modeled after this one.

The post-apocalyptic world that 4A Games has created for Metro: Last Light is not the usual fare that you’ve seen in some recent games such as Rage and Fallout: New Vegas. This one is dark and full of horrors. The few survivors left alive in Moscow are riddled with psychic visions that have drawn the dwindling populace to insanity.

While at the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the industry’s biggest trade show of the year, we got to see the action-oriented gameplay of Metro: Last Light and how fast-paced and polished it appeared to be. But this year, the focus of what we see shows off something completely new. The game has the best of both worlds when it comes to being a modern shooter.

We have the streamlined, visceral combat everyone has come to know and love, but if you aren’t smart with your resources, then you are in for one heck of a ride.

Supplies are scarce in the underground world of the metro. Whether it be ammo, health, or even something as simple as the battery that charges your flashlight, when you run out, that item is gone for good. The empty click of an ammo stick may be more frightful than the mutated monster you face in front of you.

When below ground, navigating through the empty tunnels of Moscow’s subway system is a blast. Unless you’re fortunate enough to find a charge for your flashlight, you’ll be left with just a meager lighter to illuminate your way through the dark and gloomy tunnels before you.

The horrible feeling of terror that rests in the bottom of your stomach will be with you during every step forward. You never know what might be just around the corner. You may find some extra bullets for your gun, or you may find a mutated human who wants to kill you.

The game may be one large, scripted adventure, but the level of immersion 4A Games has brought to the table is fantastic. The guts from a gunned-down monster will splatter all over your visor if you shot him to close to yourself, causing you to manually wipe the gory mess clean.

The little moments like those are what really counts.

When above ground, the game takes a twist in the opposite direction. Everything you’ve been doing underground no longer applies to the world above. It feels and looks like a completely new game.

Stepping outside for the first time will force your character to shield his eyes from the blinding rays of the sun after being secluded to the murky depths of the metro. And from the moment the door behind you closes, it is a race against time to find what you are looking for and get the heck out!

Roaming about the fragmented remains of a nuclear blasted Moscow brings new and more formidable hazards to the table. In just the blink of an eye, a flying mutant may have picked you up and dropped you to your death or a mutated citizen could have swarmed you from behind.

All the while, a clock is slowly ticking down on the watch strapped to your wrist. You have two minutes until that timer hits zero and if you haven’t reached the underground before then, that glorious, nuclear free air you’ve become so accustomed to will be gone. Air filters can be found out in the harsh, city environment, but I wouldn’t ever count on finding one during my mission.

For fans of the first game, you are once again thrust into the shoes of protagonist Artyom, and the events pick up from whence they ended in Metro 2033. But as a huge supporter for the first game, what intrigues me the most about this sequel is 4A Games’ continued emphasis on storytelling. They “want people to remember their time here [in the game],” and from what I’ve seen so far, the game seems poised to leave a dent in my social life.

Prepare for the apocalypse early next year right from the comfort of your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, or PC.

We’ve all grown used to the act of driving down the street to go buy a title. Before, we couldn’t simply sit at home in our big, comfy chair and download a game straight to our PC or console.

The way we buy games has changed drastically, however. Pricing models are transforming, and day-one downloadable content is ripping apart communities.

Within just 12 short years, however, the way we buy our games has changed three times. It started with boxes that could only be purchased online or in a store. Then, the market transitioned over to a digital-download platform. And now, as we speak, the market is moving to a free-to-play system.

That free-to-play world is overruled by hidden fees and microtransactions that, on the outside, seem cheap, but after a while, all of those little fees add up. Who wouldn’t mind laying a buck or two down on a silly, little hat or a new multiplayer map to play on? The small price seems harmless until we’ve purchased so many of those things that we receive an enormous bill in our mail at the end of the month.

The quality of our games is now sacrificed for more money. I can’t argue against that position because from any business standpoint, the idea makes perfect sense. But from a gamer’s perspective, the next generation of consoles is shaping up to look very different.

Our next batch of systems will be ruled by digital content. The PlayStation 4 is shooting to allow all of the systems games available for download on the PSN store and also wants to be able to stream all of its games via Gaikai, effectively eliminating many hardware requirements thanks to the service. Maybe in the future we don’t need powerful GPUs to power our games, letting the internet take over for us. Rumors also suggest the next iteration of the Xbox will do something similar as well.

Living in a digital world has its good and bad sides, and I think they balance out pretty evenly.

On the good side, a digital form of game distribution would lead to cheaper games or perhaps more free ones since the free-to-play structure has become increasingly popular over the last few months.

We’d also be able to buy our games from anywhere we’d like and be able to download them onto almost any compatible system. Look at the PlayStation 3 and the PlayStation Vita. The Vita can play some of the same releases as the PS3 can, and the handheld also supports cross-platform play, meaning you could start playing a game on your PS3 and later finish on your Vita. This is an exciting concept that would probably take off if it weren’t for the Vita’s hefty price tag.

On the other side, better hardware is probably expensive to make. With that new technology comes higher prices, which no one wants. When consumers avoid buying these devices with higher price tags, the platforms can no longer be supported, and we’re back down to where we started — with cheaper, older tech.

But with services like OnLive, we can now stream our favorite games straight to our PCs or TVs with no hardware at all. We can even play some of these games on our phones and tablets! You just need a speedy Internet service. I believe that this is the future of gaming. If we can pump out amazing visuals on our big screens without the need for big, clunky, and expensive hardware, that’s a winning proposition.

Going to a fully digital distribution platform has other cons, though. What if a piece of tech becomes too old to be supported or if that tech’s maker goes under? Will the store for that system be effectively shut down as well? That would mean that all your purchased titles would be gone forever. You wouldn’t ever get them back like you would with physical copies.

Even if we aren’t ready to support such a model, I fear that we’re going to be forced into accepting this reality. The age of brick-and-mortar stores is over.

Over.

Stores are closing up shop left and right because no one needs them to be around anymore. Many of us are purchasing our products from the comfort of our homes instead of going out and buying them.

In the U.S., huge electronic chains like Circuit City have gone out of business with Best Buy, the only major retailer left, soon to follow. Borders, a major book retailer in the nation, went under because of digital e-readers. In Europe, major chain GAME has also experienced financial problems and is on the verge of shutting down.

I still think that possessing a physical copy of something signifies ownership, and it’s fun to show off an entire collection of games on my bookshelf when people come over.

Yet, whether we like it or not, a future ruled by digital distribution is coming.

Ubisoft is once again pouring everything its got into the next Assassin’s Creed project dubbed Black Flag. With eight studios working on the massive game, Ubisoft plans to bring players the pirate’s life of Captain Edward Kenway to all major consoles this fall, with Sony consoles getting exclusive content yet again to the franchise.

Black Flag leaves the raging battles of the revolutionary war and the birth of a new country behind and leapfrogs back in time to the 18th century islands of the Caribbean, blending real pirates and history together as the Assassins battle it out yet again with the Templars.

And in the case of Black Flag, players will meet a new hero instead of continuing on with Connor. Our intrepid protagonist this time around is Captain Edward Kenway, father of Haytham and grandfather of Connor. Ubisoft is calling this entry the continuation of the “Kenway saga” of Assassin’s Creed games.

Edward isn’t the only character you’ll come across though in Black Flag. The cast is huge. Players will get to meet real historical figures like Benjamin Hornigold, who was known as the gentleman pirate, Ann Bonny, one of the few female pirates of the time period, a psychotic Englishman named Charles Vane, drunkard Calico Jack, and even Blackbeard himself.

Ubisoft says they’re looking forward to telling us the story behind Edward Teach, the famed pirate of the Caribbean who was actually reluctant to murder other people and rather created a theme around who he was so that people would fear him.

If there was one thing from Assassin’s Creed 3 that irked me, it was the silly play on history that they did on the Revolutionary war. As an American, I grew up learning all about our nation’s history while in school, so it wasn’t that hard to pick out all of the silly little mistakes and spin-offs that Ubisoft made to the era.

But with Assassin’s Creed IV, Ubisoft says that they are super excited to be able to tell the story of all the pirate characters you’ll meet throughout the game. They’re eager to present a credible retelling of the history. The realistic version of pirates is something Ubisoft thinks is “really awesome” versus the cartoony version the gaming industry has portrayed so far.

“This is as close to interaction as you can get,” game director Ashraf Ismail told Forbes. They’ve specifically picked out the really important locations and parts of the time period that had an effect of the world and you’ll get to meet those characters who actually existed there.

And if you’re worried about the game taking place specifically at sea, Kenway is a pirate after all, there is no need to fret. Roughly 60% of the game will take place on land Ubisoft has said.

And while the game does have the major, sprawling cities the AC franchise has become known for creating (most notably Nassau, Havana, and Kingston this time around), Black Flag also has over 50 unique locations across the entirely seamless Caribbean world.

Players will get to explore everything from fisherman villages and plantations, to the many jungles, forts, islands, and Mayan ruins dotted across the Caribbean sea. They’ll also get to take part in numerous activities such as hunting, harpooning, and exploring underwater environments.

Ubisoft really wants to make sure that the players are completely immersed in the world. Everything is very fluid and seamless when it comes to blending between its land and aquatic environments. Players could simply dive off of their ship and swim to a nearby island to explore if they wanted to.

Ubisoft has also said that players will also be able to board almost every ship in the game. Whereas the trailer showcased a more scripted scene, everything about it in the real game will be completely seamless and unique every time. But players will need to manage their crew and use their Assassin’s skills effectively if they want to successful board an enemy ship.

Players can approach these boarding situations from multiple different perspectives though instead of charging your entire crew into the fray of battle. A few options noted in the game’s reveal were that you could either simply gun down the opposing captain from the safety of your own ship, or you could leap from mast-to-mast and perform an air assassination.

Players will also be able to exploit the exploit weather patters to their advantage in combat, luring in enemies into less than ideal conditions such as dynamic storms and use them to their advantage if they know how to.

Development for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag began during the summer of 2011, but Ubisoft claims there has been enough time though to consider all of the critical and fan reception they got from Assassin’s Creed 3 last year. “We don’t tell you ‘go here, touch this thing, interact with this thing, push this guy’ to accomplish the goal. It’s really just where you need to be, get there as you wish,” Ubisoft told Joystiq.

Everything about the game will involve more open planning and improvisation rather than a mash of scripted events and battles.

Look for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag to launch this fall on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, “Xbox 720,” PC, and the Wii U on October 29th, 2013.

Now that we finally have an official release date — April 26, 2013 — for Dead Island: Riptide, I can finally begin to worry less about if, or when for this matter, my favorite zombie slasher will return.

According to Deep Silver, Dead Island Riptide adds “additional gameplay mechanics, all-new gorgeous locales to explore, more types of zombies to provide constant threats, an additional character class and the best co-operative zombie action experience in gaming.”

But this is what I want from the upcoming sequel:

A higher emphasis on story

In Dead Island, I thought that Techland had a tremendous opportunity to create an entirely new and unique story, which is something few survival horror games can pledge. Most, if not all and Dead Island among them, kind of thrust story elements to the side to focus on more gameplay like elements and survival mechanics. Dead Island seemingly tried to dabble with the story at times, but was ultimately held down by poor writing and pacing.

Riptide picks up right after where its predecessor left off, as the four survivors find themselves on the island of Palanai in the Banoi archipelago, obviously now overrun by zombies. Hopefully Techland will explain how the zombie outbreak started in Banoi, what is happening in other spots of the world, will governments step in? Or more importantly, can we get some back-story on the four iconic heroes of the game?

Better acting

Another element I felt really weighed down Dead Island was the horrendous voice acting work done for practically everyone in the game, save for the people depicted in the audio recordings — which I thought were really well done – to be found laying around the island.

Almost anything will prove better than the performance delivered in the first game, so hopefully Techland will pull its act together and hire some voice actors who can actually do their job, “act.”

Balanced weapon degradation

Weapons in Dead Island went to waste after what seemed to be the first few swings. One group of zombies meant the sacrifice of your favorite baseball bat or sledgehammer. I don’t mind the mechanic, in fact I like the idea behind it, it was just poorly executed in the end.

With a lot of time left on the clock, hopefully Techland can right their wrongs with Dead Island by the time April swings around and give us a game worthy of being a sequel worth playing.

I am now thoroughly convinced that the era of complex, challenging, and elongated games is on the way out.

It isn’t an easy ordeal to divide video games between the casual and hardcore. Everyone has their own opinion to express on this matter. One game that is easy to me may very well be challenging to you.

If I were to round up the entire Call of Duty community and play the line game, asking the question, “Is Call of Duty a hardcore game?”, I’d expect the majority of the people to answer no.

It would be a joke now to say that this question could very well escalate to a very harsh, verbal disagreement between the two sides.

Gamers outside of the community may very well argue that the automatic heal functionality is not hardcore. Or that perks allowing for a faster draw of the weapon or the ability to stay hidden from enemy radar also crosses the line.

The industry as a whole has adapted and changed over the last generation of consoles to suit the needs of the casual versus the hardcore. Technological innovation and more difficult development formulas have led to an increase in sales costs.

In order to make a profit, companies had to alter their business strategies to meet the needs of a consumer group who just wanted to play video games for fun…those who didn’t have the time or will to play games like they were a second job.

Developers were forced to create games that held your held while still entertaining you.

Infinity Ward, developer of the original Call of Duty, made this type of experience happen. Their strategy is copied and pasted over each year but still manages to break sales records. Modern Warfare 3 had the most successful launch in entertainment history!

Their model: Create a Michael Bay like experience jam-packed with a short, gripping narrative and as much explosions and action sequences as possible. Yet that isn’t the only part of the gaming industry they “revolutionized.”

Many players want to feel some sort of achievement for what they’ve done in a game and on a constant basis. Call of Duty’s multiplayer provides an addictive and streamlined experience that constantly rewards the player for just about everything they do. It also encourages them to do even more…thereby keeping them hooked for a longer period of time.

The achievement model didn’t stop there, however. It expanded into many different variants across many of the consoles and PC services. Players earned these “trophies” and could then compare and show off their achievements to other members on their friend list.

Video games have become more of a social hub where friends and family can connect and catch up on “things,” the competitive nature of the medium slipping away at a very fast rate.

Then we have the Angry Birds epidemic that has spread like a virus to all forms of media. The .99 cent app made millions for developer Rovio. The reason it’s so popular is because players can jump into the game and jump right out of it as quickly as they want to. It’s the perfect time-killer. Don’t be surprised if our future is filled with games just like it.

One could argue that video games like Skyrim or Mass Effect are hardcore, but look at how long it takes to make them. Notice how long it took to develop Skyrim — almost four years! If Bethesda tried to annually release a new Elder Scrolls game similar to the Call of duty franchise, the games would probably be awful.

To build a good RPG takes time, talent, and lots & lots of money. It’s an expensive process. Companies look at it this way — they could make an amazing game that would cost a fortune and wouldn’t create a revenue stream anytime soon. Or they could make an Angry Birds type of game that is simple, fun, and appealing to almost everyone. They’d make a load of cash far more quickly. No one likes to wait around for something; we want it now.

And it’s that impatience on the part of gamers, coupled with the expanding audience, that is creating this simplistic era of video games.

Free to play games are rapidly moving beyond the adorable , anime-inspired massively online role playing games, or even the pay-to-win pricing structure. So many big budget titles have, or are planing to be released soon, that many of the ‘o so great ones may have slipped under your radar.

The free to play genre seems primed to explode at any moment as developers are finally beginning to discover the market’s potential. From first-person shooters to massively online role playing adventures to real-time strategy games, there shouldn’t be a game out there that doesn’t fit your kind of play-style.

The Lord of the Rings Online

The Lord of the Rings Online is now officially free to play up to level 65. The game features some of the best PvE content out of any MMORPG free or pay, and provides a world that is both huge and fun to explore, though the graphics are a little outdated.

Even after five long, great years, Turbine has managed to continuously pump out great content updates on a frequent basis, from expansions to simple, yet fun seasonal festivals, this game is able to satisfy any kind of MMO player out there.

Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2 is a free-to-play team-based first-person shooter multiplayer video game developed by Valve Corporation. If you’re looking for some fun, simple minded shoot em’ up action fun, then this is the perfect game for you.

The cartoonist styled graphics are fun and wild to look at, and best yet, the game is capable of running on almost any computer! Players can choose to play as one of nine classes, each with his own unique strengths and weaknesses. From fun game modes to a wide selection of maps to play on, you’ll never run out of options to hone your skills.

Blacklight Retribution

Blacklight: Retribution models itself after Call of Duty’s multiplayer components and borrows certain gameplay elements from Crysis and F.E.A.R. Multiplayer is an absolute blast, offering capture the flag and control point gametypes to play, yet still throwing in the game’s own unique twist on things.

Also, developed entirely for Direct X 11 via the Unreal 3 Engine, Retribution is capable of pumping out breathtaking visuals, pushing the limits of what we’d typically think of when they hear “free.” If you are a fan of shooters, then you should feel right at home when playing this game.

APB Reloaded

In APB Reloaded, you take on the role of either a Criminal, who is hell-bent of causing havoc and making money, or an Enforcer, tapped by the city to keep order. It’s one big, fun-filled blast of a fight between the two sides in this fast pasced Massively Multi-player shooter. Looking for a good time, this is your game.

Age of Empires Online

Age of Empires Online is the next chapter in the best-selling Age of Empires PC game franchise.The game features some of the greatest ancient civilizations including the Greeks, Egyptians, Persians, and Celts, with more being introduced all the time, and offers more than hundreds of hours of gameplay for free!

The game adds new social interaction, customization, and MMORPG gameplay in an evolving and persistent world. Play co-operatively or competitively, craft and trade items, and level up by completing quests, all the while maintaining the wonderful RTS elements you may have grown to like from the franchise over the past few years.

I’ve been a loyal fan and player of the Lord of the Rings Online MMOrpg ever since I was invited to participate in the game’s beta for Shadows of Angmar. I rigorously played through everything the game had to offer like it was a day-job through the first two expansions. Then I died off a bit, I went off and jumped into some new and different games, only popping back into LotRO for a month here and there.

When I heard that the game was going free to play, my heart leapt with joy. Everything about the concept seemed to suit my play-style for the game nowadays perfectly. I had become a casual LotRO player. Jumping in to play the new content and regroup with some old friends, then leaving a week or two later to go back to my old ways.

Since September 2010, the game has gone free to play for anyone interested in trying out the game. Jumping forward a few years and I’ve spent over $200 on quest packs, an expansion, cap removals, more storage space, and so on.

Much of the content I was forced to buy over was old content that many of my main characters had already picked clean. However, if I ever wanted to revisit these zones, run any of the dungeons they had to offer (many of which are now scalable to the level cap), I had to rebuy them.

It would have made sense if Turbine allowed those who had already owned the original copy of the game to have access to these original zones, yet they instead decided to split them all up into quest packs to be bought over again.

It was from here that my “shopping spree” began. When LotRO went free to play, Turbine essentially split its subscriber service into three tiers: VIP, Premium, and Free. Since I had already been a subscriber, I was automatically bumped up to premium. The only things I was able to retain was the Moria and Mirkwood expansions, five of my characters (I had to buy character slots to access the other two), all of my bags, swift travel, and a lifted gold and trait cap.

All in all, the deal wasn’t half bad. I got to play my favorite MMO for free, I just had to rebuy the old content. For those who are just jumping into the game and are listed as a free player, your total price tag for all of the caps, zones, and expansions could exceed a whopping total of $300.

Becoming a free player gives you full access to the original game’s story, the world, all four races, and all the character classes, same as everyone else. Things like gold, storage, mail, traits, inventory bags, character slots per server, and so on are all caped off at a very small number. It also means you can’t play PVP, unless you want to play on the monster side, but you’ll have to buy the pack and the classes.

All of these things can be bought with Turbine Points, which can be bought or earned in game for completing some ridiculously lengthy challenges known as deeds. An example would be kill 300 goblins in this area.

Reading between the lines, Turbine’s free to play business model is genius. It gives players a feel for the game and almost encourages them to continue playing by locking up the little things for cost effective prices. Little purchase by little purchase is Turbine’s sneaky way of breaking into your wallet without you really ever noticing.

For those of you who want, or are already subscribed to the game, you are known as VIP members, and the rewards are well worth the money. You could either become a VIP member by subscribing monthly to the game for $15, or by purchasing a multi-month plan, which is broken down to $10 per month.

As a VIP member, you get everything free players get plus unlimited access to all the quests and areas within the Shadows of Angmar regions, “freep” side PVP, no caps on anything, rest XP, and 500 (around $6.50) Turbine Points every month.

The benefits in my opinion are well worth it. The rest XP is one of my favorite perks on the package, which offers 2X the XP per kill. Rest XP is earned while you are not playing. And to have access to all of the Monster PVP classes is cool as well. They’re fun to experiment with to find which class is best for you.

For those of you who are new to the game and just want to try it out, the free to play model is really great is your just a casual player and take things slowly. However, if you plan on speeding across Middle Earth or you happen to know that you’ll be around for a while, going VIP would be the wisest and cheapest route to go.

Naughty Dog is finally moving on from the theatrical adventures of Nathan Drake, saving the next treasure hunt for another time. The next chapter in Naughty Dog’s life is about to unfold in post-apocalyptic manner; humanity fighting for its very survival. A virus has mutated the majority of the world’s population and destroyed most of the world as we know it.

The Last of Us is an action title in development by a separate team at Naughty Dog and seems to be character and plot-driven. The story in the game takes place 20 years after this apocalyptic event happens and follows the story of two main characters, Ellie and Joel.

The story picks up inside one of the last remaining quarantine zones, safe zones set up by the military where people can live free from the infected. Martial law rules the day, and any infraction, even minor ones, result in immediate execution. If you scan positive for infection, it’s off with your head.

Joel, one of the two protagonists in the game, is a smuggler, and a “black market” within the quarantine zone is what he calls home. His job usually requires him to transport weapons, illicit drugs and more from one zone to the next.

For some unknown reason, Joel is recruited to sneak Ellie out of the quarantine zone. Things go south very quickly though, and is soon being pursued by the military. It would make sense to ditch Ellie and disappear, but he made a promise to a dying friend that he would escort Ellie to safety.

Ellie is a 14-year-old orphan obsessed with music and books. She has never been outside the quarantine zone she lives in, nor has she seen the world before its collapse. She must rely on Joel to survive; else she is as good as dead.

The two have to work together as a team if they want to live. A long road is ahead of them as they venture west on a post-apocalyptic journey across the United States. One of the many inspirations for the game was the building relationship between Joel and Ellie; Naughty Dog wants the two to gradually become closer as the story progresses.

This is a different kind of zombie-apocalypse though. We won’t be seeing any spore-infected humans on a frequent basis like we saw in the game’s first trailer. The real enemy is other humans. Humans will pop in and out of your adventure either offering help or presenting a direct threat. Each faction has their own goals.

The reason the infected were shown off in the first trailer was to present the fact that there are infected in the game. Mystery solved. The game isn’t about this though; the real mystery is about who Joel and Ellie are, what their backstory is and why they left the quarantine zone.

The game itself will be one complete story. The end will mark the end of Joel and Ellie’s journey. “The story stands on its own,” creative director Neil Druckman said. Naughty Dog doesn’t want to end on a cliffhanger. While it is still far too early to be discussing a sequel, this sparks many questions on if or how that would ever even happen.

Staying in the realm of realism, Naughty Dog wants the game’s combat mechanics system to be as real as possible. Health will not automatically regenerate; Ellie, your AI companion, will be intelligent enough to throw bricks and other materials at your enemies, and she won’t break your “stealth” mode; its part strategy and part shooter.

Resources are also limited, meaning Joel and Ellie won’t be running around loaded to teeth with high-tech weaponry as is the case in some other post-apocalyptic games. One bullet in this world can kill.

Specific decisions you make in a combat situation will determine what plays out next. If the enemy sees that you only have a melee weapon, they’ll rush you on sight. If they notice you have a gun, they’ll take a more tactical approach, moving from cover to cover, all the while trying to flank you.

The team has made this possible by balancing out the power between the player and the AI. Enemies naturally adapt to what is happening around them. They even have personalities and emotions. When their friends die, they get angry. If they sense danger, they’ll run. They will even call out to other people with warning calls.

Naughty Dog doesn’t want the game to feel like one, long escort mission. Your AI companion, Ellie, won’t ever become a hassle to you. She is just as dynamic as the other AI characters. She won’t just run off, hide, and come out when it’s safe. If she sees Joel in danger, for instance, she might throw a brick at an enemy to stun him so that Joel can run to cover, reload his weapon, or take any number of other actions.

The Last of Us will also feature an incomparable cast of voice actors. They’ve brought on the best in the industry. Joel’s voice and motions will be captured by Troy Baker who’s appeared in many games, most recently appearing in Batman: Arkham City as Robin and Two-face. Ellie will be acted out by Ashley Johnson, who’s appeared in many TV shows such as The Help, The killing, and Growing Pains.

Naughty Dog also wasn’t afraid to hire a top notch musical composer either; picking up Gustavo Santaolalla. Naughty believes he is the perfect fit for the overall minimalistic sound design, since music in the game will be subtle.

Look for the game to launch on the PlayStation 3 on June 14, 2013.