Hot Online Games You Should Check Out

by Edgar Griggs

BatheoPlaying online games can be a great way to pass the time. It can also be a great way to meet new people, as well as, having fun by yourself, or with others. You can play a solo game, or play with people from around the world. There are several types of online games, but the main two types of online games people are familiar with are the ones where you can play directly within a browser window, and the ones where you have to download the game.

There are also hybrids where you have to download a client, but the actual gameplay is still online. Regardless of what type of game you choose to check out, here are a few tips on choosing an online game that is right for you.

  • Check out the graphics of the game. You can have splotches due to internet lag time, but if graphics are constantly overlapping each other, or if they fade in and out, then you may want to let the game organizers know.
  • Since most games are fairly new, it will be understandable if there aren’t a lot of people playing at one time. Use this time to get familiar with the game world. Also, if you like the game, tell your friends about it, and invite them to check it out.
  • Be sure to understand if you playing on a PvP, or a PvE, or a combination so that you don’t upset people for killing them off when they were looking just to play around the game environment.
  • Learn how to level up before you get too far into a game so that you don’t spend too much time doing quests or fighting battles that won’t help you advance to the next level.
  • Have fun! Don’t take whatever game you play too seriously. You want to get things done, but at the same time enjoy the experience while you’re there.

Here are some great online games that you should check out. Please note that there is a mixture of both browser based, and client side games.

Batheo

Batheo
Batheo is a browser-based strategy game, set in ancient Greece, where players govern cities of various sizes, and command armies that engage in wars on medium to large scales.

Unlike most strategy games that focus mostly on planning, managing populations, and dealing with city politics, Batheo puts a strong emphasis on developing your character through combat, although managing and growing a city is also very important in order to be successful in this game. Players have the option of either exploring the terrain of this online world alone, or amongst the ranks of a chosen league.

During combat, players can create formations for their soldiers to march in, as well as, choose which soldiers will lead the formation, and what weapons will be used by the formation. Players will find this feature very useful, although care should be taken to not over think what formations, and weapons to use during combat.

The building system is unique in that buildings are created, and upgraded instantly. This helps immensely in regards to how much time would be wasted trying to fight a war while constructing buildings at the same time (something that was an issue in the 2D versions of Blizzard’s Warcraft series). Conquering neighboring cities, and capturing farmland also add an element of chaotic intrigue into the fascinating fantasy world that is Batheo.

Wizard101

Wizard 101
Wizard101 gives you a chance to be a wizard in training as you go through the Ravenwood School of Magical Arts. Although this game was inspired by the Harry Potter books, it does have a style and character all its own. With Headmaster Ambrose providing you guidance as you journey through this game, players can go through wizard training either alone, or with other training wizards.

The combat scenes are well done, and provide many visuals for players to take in. During the combat scenes, training wizards are pulled into a magical ring where the combatants duel by using spell cards previously chosen by the combatants. The types of spells available to combatants are numerous consisting of Fire, Ice, Storm, and Balance, just to name a few.

Although the game centers around a magic theme, Wizard101 is kid friendly, and has several safeguards in place that covers every aspect of the game in order to ensure that game play remains somewhat G-rated (including naming the characters, discussions, and the chat room).

Even with the safeguards in place, this game still has the ability to hold a player’s interest and attention. Fun cartoon style characters and a helpful voiced over tutorial adds much to the overall look and feel of Wizard101.

Runes of Magic

Runes of MagicRunes of Magic is set in the fantasy world of Taborea, and comes equipped with a vast array of eye-catching 3D graphics. With an ever expanding player base of over 2 million, those who choose to venture into this fantasy world will find many well developed areas to explore. Players will also find the over 600 quests to choose from both intriguing and mentally stimulating.

Other key features of Runes of Magic are an innovative multi-class system, player housing in-game, distinctive player customization, and well evolved dungeon encounters.

Players have the ability to choose between eight different character classes and two character races when creating their character for this game. An unusual characteristic of Runes of Magic is that characters get to keep their skills even if a player switches character classes.

Another noteworthy feature is its dual-classing system, which allows players to pick a second class when their game character reaches level ten. With character classes such as warrior, rogue, and priest to choose from, players of this game will be able to find the right kind of character for their playing style.

This game focuses mainly on PvP combat, and has a “monster card” system where players can pick up skill cards from defeated enemies. Runes of Magic also allows players to have magical pets that can travel with the player, and even participate in battles depending upon the pet’s characteristics.

Battlestar Galactica Online

Battlestar Galactica Online
Battlestar Galactica was a very popular television show during the 70s, and was revived and ran again from 2004 to 2009. Now people can relive the excitement of this show through the online game – a game that attracted over 2 million registered users within the first three months of its release. Gamers can play Battlestar Galactica Online as either a human or as one of the Cylon robots.

Gameplay centers around piloting your ship, and the type of ships available to you will depend on the type of character you have chosen. The key to succeeding at this online game is collecting resources as quickly as possible. These resources will be used to upgrade to more powerful battleships.

In the game, you have three types of ships to choose from: line (heavily armored ships), escorts (medium artillery ships), and strike (fighter ships/small craft vessels). Well polished 3D visuals makes the ingenious missions come to life, while the various combat modes keeps things even more interesting for the player. For those who like online games that center around space battles, Battlestar Galactica Online is definitely a game you will want to check out.

DarkOrbit

DarkOrbit
DarkOrbit is a space battle game where players can battle it out with either human, or non-human players. With over 65 million registered users, new players will easily find someone that can give them a good battle. As the game begins, players can choose between three companies to partner with: Venus Resources Unlimited (VRU), Earth Industries Corporation (EIC), and Mars Mining Operations (MMO). A short tutorial is shown before players are teleported to the choosen home world game map.

The object of the game is to acquire wealth and power both for yourself and the company to which you’ve pledged allegiance. You improve your rank in this game by battling in space, and gaining experience from your battles. You can also improve your rank by upgrading your ship, and destroying enemies of your company.

DarkOrbit uses a real-time combat system that allows for the use of a variety of weapons. Rockets, laser cannons, and high tech mines are all at your disposal in order to eliminate the competition. The weapons within this game use a targeting system that is activated by clicking on a chosen target. If an enemy is destroyed, a special cargo box appears that contains any ore that was carried by the destroyed opponent. If the destroyed ship is a player, it will cost 500 uridium to repair the ship, although the ship started with in the game is free to repair. Players can play alone or join a clan after passing various requirements. Overall, DarkOrbit presents a great adventure for those who love games set in outer space.

XBlaster

XBlaster
XBlaster is a futuristic machine battle game set in 2053. The earth’s resources became vastly depleted, leading to an all out global war. Once the war ended, not much was left of the earth with most of the land destroyed. Machines became the way of life, and now the remaining survivors of earth use mechanical monsters of destruction to battle in The Arena.

There are different planetary worlds to choose from, and different mech warriors to fight with. You can compete in tournament battles, or in the big Jackpot Battle which is open to everyone. There are also special worlds to compete on that are only open for a limited time period. You never know what’s going to happen when you play on one of the special worlds, but one thing is for sure – whatever happens, it will be worth your while to compete.

One of the special things about this game is the ability to have co-players. You can create one account, and have other people that can play with you through one user name, and password. Makes it much easier to have your friends join you in a game (but choose who you play with carefully, since these same people will also have access to your account’s payment area).

Amazing graphics, and great playing areas definitely make XBlaster a game worth checking out.

SeaFight


SeaFight is a pirate themed browser based game that pits players against monsters, and each other as they fight to gain the most treasure. Although there is some land combat, the majority of battles will take place on the open seas. Fighting against other players presents lots of challenge in order to keep things interesting, but for those that are not into PvP combat, there are a variety of monsters to fight against, as well. As players gain experience and level up, much more challenging monsters will appear.

Any game that features sea battles, must have cannon fire in order to keep the feel of the game as real as possible, and SeaFight is no exception. Cannons are the primary weapon used in SeaFight, each cannon having the ability to fire various types of ammo. There are also a few weapons that can be used by the pirate which influences the success of a player attempting to board an enemy ship.

Two types of currency rules SeaFight – gold and pearls. Gold is the more common of the two currencies and is gained by defeating opposing players, and the various monsters that abound in this game. Pearls are much harder to come by, and tend to be found in scarce amounts throughout the game map. For those who do not wish to wait to find pearls, this difficult to find currency can be purchased using real money. Gold, and pearls are used to purchase various upgrades within the game. Players can either play alone or within a guild.

A Guild can be formed once a player has reached Level 6 in the game, and works similarly to clans in other multi-player online games. Once a guild has been formed, people can be invited to join the guild, and an updated list of who is in what guild is available for other players to look through. Guilds also have the special distinction of being able to fortify guild islands and set them up as a base of operations. If you’re into pirates, and fighting on the high seas, then SeaFight is just the game for you.

Farmerama

farmerama
For those who want to take their love of Farmville even further, you’re in luck with Farmerama. Hailed as the ultimate farming simulator, players can grow and harvest crops and raise animals. By completing a vast array of chores and delivery orders, players can level up and gain access to much more advanced crops, and rare farm animals that are only available after reaching a certain level.

Players can add each other as neighbors, and from there neighbors can help each other clear land to make it suitable for farming. Players can also give their neighbors gifts, and experience points to help them level up their characters. Each player begins with a simple farm which can be expanded upon and customized depending on where a player chooses to place their decorations, animal pens, and crops. Players can also purchase seeds, and expand their buildings by visiting “The City”. Items within “The City” can be purchased with either country coins (in-game money) or barnyard bills (real world money). There is also a farmers market where players go to buy or sell their crops, and other merchandise. Players have the ability to plant various crops, but only after the ground has been properly tilled.

Once the land has been properly prepared, seeds can be planted. Over time, the seeds transform into crops that can be harvested for experience points, or saved for use in delivery orders. The growth of your crops can be sped up by using water on the land before the crop is fully grown. If an animal pen is built on the land, animals can be raised and given food and water until they reach maturity. Once fully grown, the animals can be used for delivery orders or offered for sale at the farmers market. Experience points can be gained from harvesting crops, and / or raising animals. If you love the challenge of Farmville, and looking for something even more engrossing (and time consuming), then Farmerama is definitely the game for you.

Online games are great to play, and one of the best things about them is that they tend to be easy to set up so you can get started playing quickly. The above games are definitely worth checking out, however, if you wish to find even more games, you can check out this site with both downloadable games, and browser based games.


{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Edgar Griggs January 2, 2012 at 11:36 pm

Actually, with that being said, if you live outside the US, the links may go to an alternate page. I’m doing research to find international links for these games. I think Farmerama works internationally.

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2 Mjolnir January 3, 2012 at 3:06 am

I have been playing Batheo since it came out. I was a beta tester. I play this on the original server, most people have maxed red and purple items; Kylin, Chimera, Laevitinn, Mjollnir, etc. If anyone is going to play this game, unless you have an account that’s over a year old, DO NOT play on server 1 (Ambry). You will find that most everyone is over level 100. The max level is currently 140, My level 121 cannot leave a mark on a 140. It is a great game however. There are also 45 other servers you may play on. If you’re new, i’d recommend any server 30+ (So that you have a chance of being a success). Just check it out. You’ll love it.

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3 Edgar Griggs January 8, 2012 at 10:16 pm

Thank you for this awesome tip!

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4 Edgar Griggs January 2, 2012 at 11:14 pm

I’ve edited the links. They should all work now, and go to the right places.

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5 Edgar Griggs January 8, 2012 at 10:17 pm

Hopefully, I will be able to find other games just like it to add to my post, or to write about in another post.

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