Free PC Gaming Blog

Aeria Games Announces Closed Beta for Richman Online

California, U.S.A. (May 15, 2008) – Aeria Games is proud to announce the closed beta of one of its newest titles, Richman Online, a massive multiplayer online board game that allows players to become property tycoons.

Richman is a combination of some of the most popular board games where players can engage in purchasing property and even buy and trade stock in a constantly-changing stock market.

In the world of Richman, players have the ability to:

- Buy property and construct all kinds of businesses to force your opponents into spending money… and making you rich!
- Use a wide variety of cards to turn the situation to your favor! Wield missiles and land mines, influence the stock market or swap properties with other players!
- Travel on foot, on scooter, or by car, each granting you a different number of dice to speed across the board.
- Gain the favor of benevolent spirits to multiply your cash, and push the spirits of poverty onto your opponents!
- Set the length of your games and your turns – play as slow or as fast as you’d like!
- Enjoy custom outfits, dice, pets and visual effects purchasable with Aeria Points!
- If you need to run a quick errand, you can turn on the Trusteeship System to play for you for a while.
- Play on a wide variety of maps, each with unique layouts catering to large and small games.
- Play in three different modes: Regular Play, Competitive Play and Boss Battle!
For more information on Richman Online, please visit the official website: http://richman.aeriagames.com

About Aeria Games:

Aeria Games is the dynamic gaming community where players of all backgrounds and interests can connect, share, and enjoy an unparalleled variety of Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games from all over the world.

Our vision is to provide the best Community Gaming Experience and Service to each and every one of our players and best of all, every game is FREE to Play! Start playing our games today by registering here for your Aeria Games account.

Founded in 2006, Aeria Games & Entertainment, Inc. is based in Silicon Valley, California.

Joymax Announces Deco Online Open Beta

Take a Glimpse at the New MMORPG’s Unique Combat System

SAN JOSE, Calif. - May 14, 2008

Joymax, an independent developer and publisher of interactive entertainment for the global market, announced today that the open beta for Deco Online, the new free-to-play casual massively multiplayer online role-playing game, has begun. After a highly successful closed beta phase, Deco Online is now available to any adventurer who wants to jump into the fantasy world of Millena and Rain, two warring nations that pit steel against sorcery. Players are invited to log in and become an expert in swordsmanship, archery or wizardry while mastering the engaging combo attack system to defend their nation from monsters and invaders.

Deco Online features include:
• Vibrant 3D graphics
• Hundreds of skills and exciting quests
• Two distinct races and a unique character advancement system
• Combo attacks that that emphasizes player skill more than traditional MMORPG combat systems
• Step-by-step NPC tutorials and guides to help players get into the game right away
• Character attire customization options
• A huge and varied selection of armor, shield, weapon, gear, and accessory types

About Deco Online
Deco Online is a 3D, massively multiplayer online role-playing game that puts players of all ages deep into the fantastic story of two warring nations. As a legendary swordsman, a fierce archer, or a master of wizardry, players will constantly be challenged by the opposing nation and by monsters that lurk around every corner. Deco Online is free-to-play and offers a combo system with hundreds of potential skills, combining both arcade and classic MMORPG gameplay.
More information about Deco Online is available at http://www.joymax.com/deco/

About Joymax
Since its establishment in April 1997, Joymax has been developing quality games for the rapidly-growing interactive entertainment market. Based in Seoul, Korea, the company has developed and published numerous titles for the PC platform, and its first MMORPG, Silkroad Online, has grown to offer service to over 150 countries since its 2004 launch. Joymax is a global entertainment company providing multimedia content. For more information, please visit http://www.joymax.co.kr/eng/.

I’m not sure how long this will stay free, but you can sign up for the Gleemax Games Alpha now to play games like Axis & Allies and Acquire online for for free. Other games listed include Magic the Gathering Online, Guillotine, and Vegas Showdown. This definitely has potential!

Check out this post from one of their blogs:

We’re going to be trying out a number of different things in the next few months and along the way there’s lots of free gaming to be done. Eventually we intend to make money off of our Gleemax Games content, but we aren’t ready for that step yet. For now, we have some cool games coded and we figured we’re better off making those available for free rather than having our test servers sit around mostly empty while bored employees (like me) played yet another game versus the computer AI.

What we have ready right now is five of our best Avalon Hill board games: Acquire, Vegas Showdown, Axis and Allies, Guillotine, and Robo Rally. These are inherently multiplayer games which you can play through the website against any combination of humans or computer AI’s. Note that the computer AI opponents are not good, and they aren’t intended to be. We had two goals in mind with the AI: 1) make it possible for new players to learn without embarrassing themselves in front of other humans and 2) fill in for anyone who drops without disrupting the experience for the other people playing the game.

In order to play these board games for free you’re going to have to jump through a couple of hoops. They use Java so you’ll have to download that if you don’t already have it – the prompts should make it pretty easy to do – and you’re also going to have to set up an account on our Alpha server (which is currently a separate account from anything else you might have on our systems – yes, for now you’ll need a new account even if you’re already a Gleemax user).

In addition to the board games, we also have one flash game available: Desktop Tower Defense. DTD won our Gleemax Award for Strategic Gameplay (“The Gleemie”) at the Independent games Festival at GDC two months ago. It’s available for free elsewhere on the ‘Net but we really wanted to include it here as an example of the kind of gameplay we value.

Big picture, the goal here is to have one page that folks can go to in order to learn about all the various digital game projects that Wizards of the Coast is involved with. In some cases it will be direct transliterations of our tabletop games (Magic Online fits this model, as do the board games). In other cases it will be original digital game designs (like Uncivilized: the Goblin Game, which has been in the works for a while but isn’t going to release until we get some back-end infrastructure stuff worked out). Yet a third category of stuff you can expect to see is digital distribution of indie games content. In addition to flash games like DTD, look for our recommendations as to which try-and-buy download games are worth your time.

For now, this is just an Alpha test. We expect to learn a lot and you should expect that stuff isn’t always going to work perfectly and may change without much notice. You should also expect us to experiment with various business models before we settle on the right way to make enough money to keep these games available. We’re optimistic that free, high-quality games will make this an enjoyable ride for you even if it’s a bit bumpy at times. See you in game!

A new Mario Kart style PC racing game is now available and it’s free to play! Kart n’ Crazy is now available from free to play games portal Goa.com.

Launch of Kart n’Crazy, new free game on the Goa.com portal.

Kart n’Crazy has taken off like a rocket!

Compete against up to 16 challengers online on a multitude of crazy tracks! The final version has new options that were not available in the beta, including new tracks, items, and stunts…
Customise your character and choose your personalised kart before the race begins!

Kart n’Crazy, the third game from the free online games portal Goa.com, is being launched exclusively in Europe in 4 languages: English, French, German and Spanish.

Kart n’Crazy features:
- Completely free online gaming without subscription.
- Amazing items to help you win against your opponents.
- A learning curve suitable for gamers of all ages.
- Extra content added every two weeks: there are already more than 140 items, 15 karts, 6 characters and 22 tracks.
- 4 game modes.

To download the Kart n’Crazy client and start playing today, completely free of charge, visit http://www.goa.com/#/kartncrazydowload/

Sign up now to get in on the Stargate Worlds MMO based on the Stargate TV series closed beta:

Stargate Worlds Closed Beta Registration Now Open

MESA, Ariz. - April 24, 2008 - Stargate Worlds, the massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) from new publisher FireSky, is now taking registrations for closed beta at www.StargateWorlds.com .

The closed beta is an invitation-only test of the upcoming science fiction MMORPG Stargate Worlds. Invitations will be sent out this spring and summer as the Stargate Worlds team ramps up the numbers for testing.

The select group of beta testers will provide feedback to the development team about their game experience while also providing vital insight into the performance of the servers. The closed beta will begin with a small core of gamers and gradually expand as more functionality is added. Beta testers will experience Stargate Worlds alongside the developers who also will be playing the game.

"A game is nothing without players. We’re fired up to finally get our game in the hands of the community," said Dan Elggren, Stargate Worlds studio head. "We’re at the point where we need external testers to take Stargate Worlds to the finish line. Our devoted fans have helped guide us for more than two years through our forums. Together, we’re going to craft a balanced, polished, and most of all, fun game."

Testers will be the first to step through the Stargate for a super-sized sci-fi adventure that will send gamers around a galaxy dipped in liquid awesome. Discover thriving alien worlds, explore ancient civilizations. and tell them all the things they are doing wrong. Smack a clip into your assault rifle and enter Stargate Worlds.

Beta testers will:

. Feel the heat - Master the battlefield using modern tactics and firepower

. Travel instantly - Dial up the Stargate to explore dozens of worlds from ancient civilizations to high tech planets

. Team up - Battle devious and powerful enemies with your friends

. Find the new you - Pick from seven archetypes with unique skills and play styles

. Don’t fight it - Simulate translation, repair and sabotage with minigames as your buddies battle it out

. Solve the mystery - A galaxy-spanning story based on the award-winning Stargate television series

Stargate Worlds, based on the award-winning Stargate franchise from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), is scheduled for launch in the winter of 2008. The game is being built using Unreal 3 graphics and Big World’s server technology. For more information, visit www.StargateWorlds.com <http://www.stargateworlds.com/> .

About FireSky
FireSky is a publisher for Social Networks at Play or SNAP games. FireSky’s flagship product is Stargate Worlds, based on the longest-running U.S. science fiction television series Stargate SG-1® and Stargate Atlantis T which are officially licensed by MGM Interactive. For more information, visit the company’s website www.firesky.com <http://www.firesky.com/> and the Stargate Worlds community site at www.stargateworlds.com.

FireSky, the FireSky logo and Social Networks at Play are trademarks of Cheyenne Mountain Entertainment, Inc. All other products or services mentioned in this document are trademarks, service marks, registered trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners.

Open beta press release from the free-to-play oriental fantasy MMORPG Sho Online:

Sho Online invites gamers to its Open Beta !

All are welcome to the vibrant world of Oriental Fantasy!

Seoul, Korea – April 23, 2008 Lizard Interactive announced its eagerly waited commencement of Open Beta for Sho Online. A free-to-play Oriental Fantasy MMORPG is scheduled to launch its Open Beta on April 30, 2008 after its successful CBT held last March.

Sho Online Team has finally unlocked its sealed door for all to participate in the breathtaking battle field of ancient land of China. Based on true Chinese epic tale of war which took place between the two nations ‘Yin’ and ‘Zhou’, legendary monsters, forgotten heroes, and countless items with mystical power are now about to reincarnate.

Sho Online Team shows great appreciation to the CBT testers for their active participations and suggestions. After necessary modifications are made, Sho Online Team is confident with solid contents and more ready than ever. Sho Online Team has prepared 3 Opening Thank you events along with Open Beta test, ‘Quest for Mysterious Talisman’, ‘Who’s the best?, and ‘The King of the Forum’.

Sho Online Team says “We thank you very much for your kind interest in Sho Online and we have prepared a very special event which was not originally scheduled with Open Beta Service. Some of you will have a chance to win unique in game item which will be tempting and hard to resist. You can win it only through this event. It is one time only and final.” Details are posted at official website www.shoonline.net

Self-developed engine for Sho Online is the latest design and it offers flexible camera angles and smooth interface. Special factor to be emphasized is that this innovative engine system makes it possible even for users with low computer spec to run full 3D games with high quality graphics without lag.

Sho Online server operates on Linux system where single server can accommodate up to 4,000 simultaneously and 1,000 players can play in a single map in comfortable game play environment.

Open Beta Service of Show Online will be open to all gamers 100% free to play. Visit and register account at www.shoonline.net and you are all set to go. Open Beta Service will start on the 30th April; however, Game clients will be available for its download starting 28th April. In order to avoid heavy traffic, it is advised to download the game client in advance.

Trackmania Nations Forever, the full version PC Racing game followup to TrackMania Nations is now available for free! Announcement from the Trackmania Nations Forever site:

TRACKMANIA NATIONS FOREVER - FULL GAME, FREE AND FOR ALL

Launched two years ago, TrackMania Nations became a true video game phenomenon. The free downloadable racing game attracted an unbelievable number of players around the world who were obsessed with the game’s fast cars, spectacular tracks single- and multiplayer play and simple yet powerful tools for creating tracks and race videos. For the past two years, it has been installed more than 30 million times and nearly four million players have created an account to play the game online on the game’s servers.

Its highly awaited sequel, TrackMania Nations Forever, is now available as a free download. TrackMania Nations Forever offers a new complete “Forever” version of the Stadium environment, a complete solo mode and 65 brand new, progressively difficult tracks. TrackMania Nations Forever will unite an even larger number of players thanks to its engaging multiplayer modes, innovative online functions and revolutionary interactivity between players.

For TrackMania Nations Forever, Nadeo studio chose to take advantage of the PC’s capacities as a gaming, creative and communications platform in order to allow a greater number of players to share a unique gaming experience:

Florent Castelnerac, Director of Nadeo studio, explains:
« The PC is the premier gaming platform when it comes to the number of casual and expert players. To satisfy this wide range of players, we designed the game for everyone instead of trying to focus on the average gamer. We have put a lot of effort in developing the competitive spirit and challenge between players in order to present a game adapted to big e-sports competitions while remaining captivating and accessible to players who have less gaming experience. Even if you play Nations Forever quietly alone, you can still be ranked in the world, your country, your city or even in your list of friends that you can create by inviting friends to join like in Facebook or MySpace. It is up to each player to set his/her goals - become one of the best players in the world or just impress friends. These ladders are adapted to everyone and they add ten times more interest to solo or multiplayer modes. Always searching for new ways to add interest and unite an even larger number of players, we explored the possibilities the PC offers as a universal communication platform: for example, a system that allows you to challenge your friends by mail or Messenger. Since the game is free, fun and works on most computers, there is a big chance that many people that you know will play it. Finally, as for creativity, the PC is the only game platform that allows players to easily create additional game content, and the game comes with powerful creative tools like the track editor. We increased creative possibilities even more with richer, more complete editors while making creation more accessible to a larger number of players with a simplified track editor. Tomorrow, we will see exceptional creations from the four corners of the world that players will be able to exchange for free and easily. It’s a tremendous motivation for the entire development team. »

The release of TrackMania Nations Forever will also allow the convergence of the huge TrackMania community. For the first time, players of the free versions will be able to play online with players from the retail version of TrackMania United on servers dedicated to the Stadium environment that is common to both games. Players of the TrackMania United retail version also gain a brilliant free extension named “United Forever”. In addition to being compatible with Nations Forever, this extension offers many bonuses - including tracks that have never been seen before, new design blocks for the game environments and a spectacular graphics update for the three historic environments Desert, Snow and Rally.

I just received an email announcing a new game launching called Goal or No Goal or GONG! for short. Here’s a bit of the message I received:

I am very excited to let you know about a new game we are launching Goal or No Goal! (aka “GONG!). GONG! is a 3 versus 3 backyard soccer game with a bit of twist. Players can customize their characters and use some interesting super powers while trying to win matches. There are some pretty nice community features that we hope to announce soon. We are launching the Closed Beta next month. www.gongonline.com

The screen shots look sweet with a nice cell shaded style. I’ll post out any more info I get on this here in the near future…

If you register now for Mentin 2 you can get Mentin Points to spend on in-game items:

G4Box Inc’s Metin 2 Celebrates April With A New Registration Offer

New METIN 2 Players Will Get 150 METIN Points Just For Signing Up!

Toronto, CANADA—April 7, 2008- G4BOX Inc, a North American publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment media, announced today a special promotion for the month of April. All new players who register at http://metin2.us/ will receive 150 free METIN points (MP) to buy items in the game’s item mall.

New players can start their METIN 2 experience off right with 150 MP in their pockets as soon as they start the game. Players can immediately go into the game’s item mall and purchase popular items including the important “return scroll” which will save a location and allows players to teleport to that location, or the player could choose to purchase "Peach Flower Wine" which will instantly recover 500HP (almost 1/3 of the HP for low levels).

“For players who have thought about joining but haven’t done it yet, now is a great time to come and experience METIN 2,” said Howard He, CEO of G4BOX. “Once they have signed up and started playing the game they will be hooked.”

About METIN 2

METIN 2 is Free To Play massively multi –player role-playing game for the PC. METIN 2 features amazing 3D graphics, a unique dynamic fighting system a strong story line and a King mode where players can be elected king (giving their nation bonuses on the battle field) and much, much more.

‘Metin’ are unknown meteors that started falling from the sky many years ago, changing the lives, land, wildlife and the people on the planet. Players of METIN 2 assume the role of a brave hero and band together with other players to find out the secret of ‘Metin’ and use it to rule or defend their Kingdom. But players be warned! Players are not the only heroes seeking the power of ‘Metin’; enemy Kingdom’s seek out this power as well. There are four classes of characters for players to choose from, with each class containing two specializations that are unlocked as players level up.

For more information about G4BOX and its games visit www.G4BOX.com or to download METIN 2 visit http://metin2.us/.

The closed beta was just launched for the upcoming free to play MMO Wonderland Online. It looks like you may still be able to get in on it:

Wonderland Online Closed Beta Test Officially Launched

Wonderland Online (http://wl.igg.com) Closed Beta Test was officially launched at 9:00pm EST (GMT-5) April 9th, and the test will last until 9:00pm EST (GMT-5) May 8th.

Different from the Alpha Test, the Closed Beta Test will not wipe out players’ character information. During the test, many fun-filled events, such as “the King of the Newbie’s Contest” and the “Forbes List” events, will offer big rewards and lots of fun in the game and in the forum. Players are more than welcome to join these events.

Additionally, to give something back to those players who participated in the Alpha Test and lost all their hard work, the WLO team will give them each a Turtle Car.

Download the latest WL client at here: http://wl.igg.com/download/download_client.php
Click here to obtain an activation code: http://wl.igg.com/act/cbsignup/index.php

For more about it, please visit the official Wonderland Online site:
http://wl.igg.com/news/newscontent.php?aid=370.