Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean Online is the first true commercial pirate MMORPG. Players can download the client and play a character in the world of Jack Sparrow, but there are some differences between the Pirates of the Caribbean Online game and more traditional MMORPGs. The first one that strikes the user, other than the game being free, is the lack of character classes.
Pirates of the Caribbean is Skill Based
Characters can gain levels in pirate-related skills, both ship and land-based. For a character to learn all skills or get more than a slop in the game, he must upgrade to a paid account. (Players who complete the introductory quests receive a sword, a sloop, and a gun in that order.) Pirates of the Caribbean Online divides skills into sea-based skills and land-based skills. Both land and sea skills can be raised, but a character must use skill to gain experience in it and level it up.
Capturing the Feel of the Pirates of the Caribbean Movies
A player who has watched all 3 movies may not want the feel of the third movie captured, as At World’s End was long and drawn out, but Pirates of the Caribbean Online does a good job imitating the feel of the cinematic swashbuckling genre.
Rather than the normal combat controlled by the AI, Pirates of the Caribbean Online requires player interaction to attack opponents, allowing the user to make combination attacks with the weapon. (Each combat raises the amount of experience with the weapon in a manner similar to Runescape.) The action flows at a fast pace, although the travel times between the island could be improved.
Pirates of the Caribbean Online Graphics
Like Disney’s first attempt at an mmorpg, Toontown, POTC Online has cartoony graphics which may be slightly dated. This allows the game to run on older computers with a minimum of hardware, but the Disney corporation made sure the art for the graphics was well rendered which more than makes up for this problem. The character customization options show a great deal of initiative and though. Only Star Wars Galaxies allows for a wider range of avatar appearances.
Disney’s Target Market for Pirates of the Caribbean Online
The game cannot compete with the lager MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or Everquest, but it is free and may be popular with the crowd that Runescape and Toontown appeal to. Disney’s target age group is slightly older than Toontown’s, and some of the parental controls have been relaxed in Pirates of the Caribbean Online. If parents are concerned about who their children are communicating with over the Internet, the parental controls can be turned back on.
5 Free MMORPG games with PvP
When searching for a free online MMORPG game to play, many settle on those that are simply PvE, or player versus environment. Those wanting duels and real battles between characters are usually left paying a monthly subscription for the honor. However, these five free MMORPG games do all have PvP capabilities.
Mir 2, MMORPG, Wemade Entertainment
One with a low player base, Mir 2 is put out by Wemade Entertainment. This free fantasy MMORPG has a 2D basic graphic set up and will remind the gamer of the old school 90’s style of RPG games. There is, however, an open PvP set up so that those needing a bit of a battle can still frag to their hearts content. The file is 800MB in size to download. While there is little character customizing in the game, there are a good number of quests so that even the PvE’er can get in on the fun.
Chaos Online, RPG, Ingle Games
A relatively low player base, Chaos online is put out by Ingle Games. There are two races and three classes in this Sci-fi style RPG. There is not much to say about the graphics, but there is another varied field of PvP options including Open, faction, and Duel style.
With only a 741 file size download, it won’t eat much of the hard drive. There is the extra plus of no grinding to this game, it will level the character by “robot”. There are pets, mounts, good crafting, and weapons that can be upgraded. However, there is little to no community for the game, and there is no character customizing.
Last Chaos, Aeria Games
A game with a very high player base, Last Chaos is put out by Aeria games. There is good graphics and character features to the game, and it starts out with a great battle “tutorial” to let the gamer learn the controls.
With a slight download of only 428MB, this has a PvP ability that comes with level 15. This is another MMORPG that has crafting, pets, and mounts included in the free game download. However, the gamer is not going to be able to choose their gender of the character. For some, this is a very big turnoff.
Red War, Hack and Slash, Uforia
With a low player pool, Red War is a 3D hack and slash by the Uforia group. The graphics aren’t anything to write home about, but there is a very heavy PvP gameplay that may make up for it. There are three classes that players are able to choose from and it only has an 800MB download. PvP options include arena, open, and duel styles.
There is little customizing to the game, and few quests or skills, but this is one that can run on older computers with no problem.
Twelve Sky 2, 3D Fantasy, Mayn Interactive
Sporting a high player base and put out by Mayn Interactive, this free MMORPG is a 3D fantasy set in China. There are better graphics that most free online games, in part due to the incredible file size of the game (6,000 MB). There is a wide variety of PvP options including the arena, faction, and duel events. However, PvE’ers will note there are few quests to do in the game, and the translations are poor at best.
Free MMORPG games are the best value gaming out there today. With stunners like Runes of Magic and its expansion rivaling World of Warcraft for players, what else is on the horizon?
