Free PC Gaming Blog

Ok, ok, so they call it Street Football, but being the American that I am… a completely different picture comes to mind when I hear "Street Football!"

Anyway, the game’s now open to all. Here’s the press release:

Kicks Online Goes Commercial

Gametribe.com launches free to play Kicks Online

After a convincing Beta Test phase Gametribe.com is proud to announce the commercial launch of Kicks Online, a free to play street football game. Kicks Online offers street football gameplay at its finest and is the first of a range of free to play titles to become available through the online gaming portal.

A wide offer of items is now available for players at the Kicks Online shop, where they can buy whatever they desire to customize their character’s look and skills. From a new t-shirt to a new pair of sunglasses, players will be able to purchase using Kash (the Gametribe virtual money) or from using experience points gained in game.

In order to use Kash players simply need to login to GameTribe.com and recharge their account using their preferred payment method between credit card and/or Paypal within the secured payment system developed by Gametribe.

Gametribe.com,
www.gametribe.com
Time to Play!

About Kicks Online
Kicks Online is a free-to-play football MMO (massively multi-player online) developed by Entermate, one of the emerging brands in the Korean online games industry. The game was launched in the Korean market in July 2006 and now has more than 300,000 registered users.

Kicks Online adopts street football modes and rules. Only through the use of different tactics and strong teamwork can players expect to win.

Matches can be played in three, four or five-player mode on unconventional pitches such as roofs, streets and factories. Kicks Online features cartoon style 3D scenes and outstanding render action.

For further information, please visit the KICKS section on www.gametribe.com

About Gametribe.com, MMO portal of GameMediaNetworks.
Game Media Networks was created to gather and develop the digital entertainment production activities destined to television, Internet and mobile platforms.

For further information, please visit the company website www.gamemedianetworks.com

Gametribe is an innovative European MMOG Portal where you are be able to explore a whole new world of online entertainment and engage in building up an amazing community!

Ok, so I’m a little behind on this one. The release below is over a month old, but Upshift StrikeRacer looks like a descent free to play multiplater "racing with weapons" type of game:

Free-to-Play Online Car Racing and Combat Game Opens all Vehicles, Tracks, Weapons and Items to Players; Unique “Club” Social Networking Web Sites Go Live  

SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Sept. 13, 2007 – Lead foot and trigger happy gamers can now access all of the frenzied and explosive excitement of Gala-Net’s high-octane free-to-play online multiplayer game Upshift StrikeRacer as the service goes live today.  To sign up for and download Upshift StrikeRacer for free, head to the game’s official Web site at http://strikeracer.gpotato.com. 

Upshift StrikeRacer is a free-to-play multiplayer online game, where the client download is free and many of the vehicles, body kits, accessory kits, weapons, finishes and special items can be bought only with the Reputation you generate by StrikeRacing.  Players hit the road in explosive races where machine guns flare, rockets fly and a quick trigger finger is just as important as a lead foot and a steady steering wheel.  

Extending the game to the Web, Upshift StrikeRacer now also offers Upshift StrikeRacer Clubs, the most robust community tools available in a free-to-play game.  Players can form Clubs, network with friends, upload and share photos, share blogs, run polls and forums and keep track of in-game rankings and points. Each individual Club can have up to 50 members, and Clubs can align with other Clubs to create a guild-like network of up to 250 players each.  In addition, Clubs and their allies can declare war on other Clubs.  More information on Upshift StrikeRacer Clubs, which can be created by any StrikeRacer who is at least Level 10, can be found at http://upshift.gpotato.com. 

“Players across North America have enjoyed the content in Upshift StrikeRacer’s open beta, and we are excited to bring them the complete game as we launch the commercial service,” said John Young, vice president and producer, Gala-Net, Inc. “StrikeRacers now have unlimited free access to some of the slickest cars, most heinous weapons and trickiest maps available in an online racing and combat game.  They can also take that excitement out of the game and to the Web with the Club community services that are truly unmatched by any online game available today.” In addition to the distinctive Club service, Gala-Net’s Upshift StrikeRacer’s live launch offers players: 

• 13 different vehicles – from hot sports cars to hulking SUVs to deft minis.  Customize and upgrade your ride with radical body kits, unique accessories, slick paint and crafty electronics packages.

• Heinous bolt-on weaponry for explosive car-to-car combat, including the devastating Mauler gun, pyro-tastic Hellscorchers and Fireball cannons, hard-hitting Tomahawk and Sidewinder missiles and devious Freeze Mines — 16 ways to blast your way to victory.

• A variety of race modes, including Time Attack for the solo racer, Racing mode for the speed demons and no-holds barred StrikeRacing for players to pit their driving skills and their arsenal against other drivers as they race and fight for individual or team victory.

• More than 20 unique maps filled with short cuts, jumps, obstacles and road hazards.

• Additional garage space, cars, weapons and special items and services available in the Upshift StrikeRacer item mall for gPotatoes, Gala-Net’s cash currency.

For more information on Upshift StrikeRacer, head to http://strikeracer.gpotato.com

About Gala-Net
Founded in 2004, Gala-Net, Inc. is a subsidiary of global online community company Gala, Inc.  Together with its European subsidiary, Gala Networks Europe, Gala-Net is a leader in the burgeoning free-to-play online games market.  Headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., Gala-Net’s diverse service portfolio includes Flyff, Space Cowboy Online, Shot Online, Corum Online and Rappelz.  In September 2007 the company launched the high-octane car racing and combat game Upshift StrikeRacer.  Through the community portal gPotato (http://www.gpotato.com), gamers can access all of Gala-Net’s services and micro-currency, which players can use to buy in-game currency and virtual items for any of its games. 

Sign up to check out Dream Of Mirror Online (DOMO) for free in the MMO’s closed beta program:

Aeria Games Announces the Closed Beta for DOMO to Start on 11/12/2007

California, U.S.A. (November 5, 2007) – DOMO will be launched by Aeria Games for a Closed Beta test in North America starting on the week of November 12th.

DOMO is a social massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) themed around the ancient Oriental myth of the Kunlun Mirror. Players enter an anime-inspired world to socialize and form friendships, learn crafting skills and level up, all within the quest of trying to solve the riddle of the ancient myth.

“We are thrilled at the opportunities that DOMO offers,” said JT Nguyen, Chief Marketing Officer, “In the realm of massive online games, DOMO stands out as unique. We’re excited and can’t wait to show our players the new experiences that await them.”
DOMO offers players rich interactive features, a robust crafting system, extensive quests, and many fun skills. Other features include:

*Extensive Customization – Players can choose from a wide variety of hairstyles, costumes, and features for each character, allowing each player to show his or her uniqueness.
*Robust Crafting System – Players can choose from 6 skills – meditation, mining, animal breeding, farming and forestry.
*Rich Social Features – DOMO promotes interactions among players. Players have special bonds with others, such as master/disciple, lovers and friends.
*Realistic Pet System – Players have the ability to nurture and earn the loyalty of various pets. Loyal pets can help their masters in battle and life; disgruntled ones can quickly desert their owners.

Players are encouraged to sign up for early access to Closed Beta on the DOMO website at: http://DOMO.AeriaGames.com

When I saw this press release, I knew I needed to post it here! For this month only, Independent developer Laurian Studio is giving away their 3D fantasy role-playing game Parhedros: The Tunnels of Sethir to everyone over the age of 18 who agrees to write to their congressperson with the message that "Video-Gamers Vote!"

Game Developer Seeks to Increase Voter-Awareness among Video-Game Players

LITTLE FALLS, New York, Nov. 1, 2007. Are some politicians alienating a neglected voter-bloc when it comes to the recent controversies over content in video-games? Independent game developer Laurion Studio thinks so, and wants to prove it by giving away a free computer-game in a voter awareness campaign aimed at the getting out the vote among the game-playing populace.

Laurion announced that during November through Election Day it is giving away a free, fully registered copy of its new 3D fantasy role-playing game Parhedros: The Tunnels of Sethir on its web-site (www.parhedros.com) to everyone over the age of 18 who agrees to write to their congressperson with the simple message that "Video-Gamers Vote!" The game normally sells for $22.95 on-line.

"We hear so much about protecting kids from games," explained Laurion spokesman David Van Meter, "But how often do we hear that the average video-gamer is actually 33 years-old, and that a whopping 72% of all gamers are over the age of 18, according to studies by the Entertainment Software Association? Video-gamers are also voters, and I think it’s time to let politicians know that we are tired of being treated like children when it comes to free speech in our games."

Laurion’s game Parhedros itself affords an example of the sort of "free-thinking" games that are quietly being published only on the internet by mostly small, independent developers for this so-called "mature majority" of gamers. Despite being a role-playing game that focuses mostly on exploring dungeons and battling fantasy monsters, the story also touches upon such mature themes as alcoholism and crises of sexual identity, and some of the characters may do "nude scenes". Needless to say, you won’t find games like this coming soon to a major retail store anywhere near you.

"From our viewpoint, games will only reach their full potential as an artistic medium when they can freely tackle the same sorts of subjects that novelists and film-makers have treated for decades," said Van Meter. "But the political hand-wringing over game content and ratings has left the major studios and retailers afraid to touch games that intellectually challenge adults as works of fiction. It will stay that way, too, until video-gamers speak up and assert their political voice."

For more information on Laurion Studio and its offer of a free copy of Parhedros for concerned game-playing voters, visit parhedros.com.