Category: Reviews

GunZ: The Duel

GunZ: The Duel is a 3D third-person online shooter built around stylish movement and close-quarters brawling, mixing firearms with blades in matches that feel closer to an arena brawler than a traditional military shooter. Its biggest hook is the freedom to chain acrobatic tricks, wall-runs, and rapid weapon swaps, including the famous sword play that can even deflect incoming fire in the right hands.

Publisher: ijji / Aeria Games
Type: Shooter
Release Date: November 29, 2006 (NA/EU)
Closure Date: May 31, 2013 (NA/EU)
Pros: +Distinctive gun-and-blade combat. +Runs well on modest PCs. +Plenty of maps and gear to chase.
Cons: -Rough netcode, lag could decide fights. -Melee tech has a punishing skill curve.

Savage Hunt Dragon’s Prophet

Savage Hunt Dragon’s Prophet was a free-to-play 3D action MMORPG built around a simple fantasy hook, dragons are everywhere, and you are meant to master them. Instead of leaning purely on gear, the game put a major emphasis on taming, training, and fighting alongside a massive roster of dragon species. Combat aimed for an active, combo-driven pace, encouraging players to string attacks together for stronger skills while exploring a large, traditional questing world.

Publisher: Gamigo
Type: MMORPG
Release Date: May 30, 2013
Shut Down: May 29, 2020
PvP: Duels / Dragon vs Dragon / Territory wars
Pros: +Huge variety of dragons to capture and raise. +Clean, approachable UI. +Player housing adds long-term goals.
Cons: -Questing and progression can feel grindy. -Only four playable classes.

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Online, often shortened to MegaTen, is a 3D sci‑fi MMORPG rooted in the long‑running Megami Tensei series. Set in a ruined vision of Neo Tokyo, it casts players as Demon Busters, mercenaries who track down, negotiate with, and ultimately recruit the demons that stalk the devastated cityscape. Battles, exploration, and character growth all revolve around how effectively you build and command your demon allies.

Publisher: Aeria Games
Type: Sci-Fi MMORPG
Release Date: May 11, 2009
Closure Date: February 7, 2013
Pros: +Spin-off entry based on a well-known Shin Megami Tensei franchise. +Deep demon recruitment, training, and fusion mechanics. +Moral alignment system affecting story and progression. +Highly customizable, skill-driven character system.
Cons: -Outdated graphics engine and a clunky interface that never felt fully optimized. -Slow, drawn-out introduction and early-game onboarding phase.

GunZ 2: The Second Duel

GunZ 2: The Second Duel (often shortened to GunZ 2) is a third person action shooter that follows MAIET’s original GunZ: The Duel. Like its predecessor, it aims to set itself apart by pairing gunplay with close-quarters blade fighting, all tied together with flashy acrobatics that keep matches frantic and full of motion.

Publisher: Masangsoft, Inc.
Playerbase: Medium
Type: Shooter
Release Date: May 1, 2014 (NA/INTL)
Pros: +Distinctive hybrid combat. +Melee feels satisfying and impactful. +Multiple modes keep matches varied.
Cons: -Does not fully capture what many players loved about the original. -Matchmaking balance can be uneven. -Peer-to-peer networking can feel inconsistent.

Project Powder

Project Powder was a 3D snowboarding MMO built around quick, arcade-like downhill racing. It supported up to eight riders per match across three distinct modes, mixing straightforward competition with item play and score chasing.

Publisher: Outspark
Type: MMO Sports
Release Date: May 11, 2009
Closure Date: February 7, 2013
Pros: +Three varied modes that change how races play. +An uncommon concept for an MMO. +A respectable selection of slopes and routes.
Cons: -Limited options for character looks and style. -The community population stayed small for most of its life.

H1Z1

H1Z1 is a 3D zombie-themed sandbox survival MMO / Battle Royale set during a zombie apocalypse. Set across rural America, it drops players into a large, persistent world where scavenging is only the beginning. The core loop revolves around looting supplies, crafting tools and weapons, building defensible structures, and surviving threats from both the infected and unpredictable survivors.

Publisher: Daybreak Game Company
Playerbase: Low
Type: F2P Survival MMO
Release Date: Jan 15, 2015 (Early Access)
Pros: +Massive persistent map to explore. +Choice of PvE and PvP server styles. +Flexible crafting for gear and base-building.
Cons: -Technical issues can disrupt sessions. -Cheating can heavily impact match quality.

Dungeon Fighter Online

Dungeon Fighter Online is a 2D, side-scrolling beat em up MMORPG that blends arcade-style brawling with long-term character progression and loot hunting.

Publisher: Neople
Playerbase: Medium
Type: MMORPG
Release Date: March 24, 2015 (Re-Release)
PvP: Arenas
Pros: +Wide roster of classes and subclasses. +Flashy, satisfying skill visuals. +A deep backlog of dungeons and activities.
Cons: -Old-school visuals are not for every taste. -Core loop can feel grindy and repetitive.

Dota 2

Dota 2 is a team-based fantasy MOBA that grew out of the legendary Warcraft 3 custom map scene. Now running in its own client on Steam, it delivers five‑versus‑five battles, a huge hero pool, and a sizable competitive ecosystem built around precise execution and strategic depth.

Publisher: Valve
Playerbase: High
Type: MOBA
Release Date: Jul 9, 2013
Pros: +More than 108 distinct heroes to learn and master. +Thriving professional and eSports scene. +Extensive cosmetic options including skins, HUDs, announcers, and voice packs. +Generally tight balance across heroes and items. +Robust support for custom lobbies and arcade game modes.
Cons: -Extremely challenging for new players, with a steep learning curve. -In‑game community can be unwelcoming or toxic. -Major balance patches and content updates can feel infrequent.

Lineage 2

Lineage 2 is a 3D fantasy MMORPG with a wide variety of classes and races. Set 150 years prior to the events in the original Lineage, the prequel offers the same PvP centric MMORPG experience, but in the third dimension. Lineage 2 has received numerous content updates since its release over a decade ago.

Publisher: NCSoft
Playerbase: Medium
Type: MMORPG
PvP: Open / Guild Wars / Castle Siege
Release Date: April 27, 2004 (NA)
Pros: +Huge variety of classes. +Sub and multi-classing features. +Actively developed for 16+ years. +Various servers with unique rulesets.
Cons: -Poor appearance customization choices. -Repetitive, grind-based gameplay. -Dated UI.

Aion

Aion is a 3D fantasy MMORPG that drops you into Atreia, a shattered world split between the Elyos and the Asmodians. It mixes traditional questing and instanced PvE with faction warfare, fortress sieges, and signature aerial movement, all wrapped in a CryEngine-powered world and a character creator that still stands out for its level of detail.

Publisher: NCsoft
Playerbase: High
Type: MMORPG
Release Date: September 22, 2009 (NA)
PvP: Duels / Open PvP Zones
Pros: +Deep character creation with plenty of control. +Distinct PvPvE battles in contested zones. +Robust housing and pet support. +Memorable music and ambience. +A large amount of content to work through.
Cons: -Very large install footprint. -New and returning players face a lot of legacy progression to reach current activities. -Combat flow and interface design feel dated compared to modern MMOs.