Karma Operation Barabossa Player Versus Player Versus Zombies

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The Bad:
- Needs more guns
- Gets old after a while due to its limited game modes
- Needs more maps. 。

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The game has a limited set of maps, but don't get me wrong as each of these arenas are big enough to keep you from getting bored. Each arena also has its own set of game modes that keeps the game from being linear. There's the common Team Deathmatch, which basically consists of 2 teams duking it out to see who's the victor, Demolition mode, which is similar to "Destroy the Target" Campaigns, and the most awesome mode in the game-Annihilation mode, which yanks our 2 teams to a killing race to see who can kill the most zombies per round.。

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The Good:
- ZOMBIES man! What else?
- The visuals are one of the best in the spectrum
- Diverse game modes (I'm tired of capture the flag)
- It's PVPVE! A breakthrough!。

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The interface looks lot like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. HUD elements like HP and bullets are placed in rather familiar places, which can be good since everyone's used to having it there. There's also the familiar experience count which flashes right above your target after killing it, which was obviously taken from COD: MW. The graphics on the other hands are flawless, with each character rendered to perfection. The background or arena is also something to behold, with dynamic shaders and cool lighting effects that make the stage fitting for the theme. The guns look perfect (almost real) and effects like smoke and explosions make the game action-packed. What truly captured my heart was the framerate. The game runs extremely well, with fewer choppy frames which tend to ruin your gaming experience/zen. When it comes to MMOFPS graphics, this game is god.。

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Karma: Operation Barabossa: Player Versus Player Versus Zombies
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist。

Zombies meet Call of Duty? What will they think up next? The game is definitely something to look forward to as it's still on Beta. There are still a lot of things to improve but the game is definitely on the right track. It may not be that original in the gaming world, but definitely a breakthrough in the MMO spectrum. The game modes are enjoyable, making me crave the real thing. The only thing keeping me from giving this game a high score, is the fact that I still have to wait for it.。

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The game looks and plays very well, but like most games, it does have its own share of cons. My first problem with the game would have to be its maps, or rather the lack of them. It's a very enjoyable game all in all, but maps are quite essential for PVPFPSs. You don't see us playing Counterstrike on the DE-Dust map for 3 hours, so a few more maps should do the trick. Although this problem doesn't affect most people, the game also lacks a good selection of guns which keeps a player from fully expressing his playstyle. This isn't Left 4 Dead where you just randomly point and shoot, and the choices of guns found in FPS shooters are there for a purpose (not just variety). Guns are mainly mass produced in FPSes in order to see that each player gets the playstyle he wants, rather than simply carrying the same sniper rifle all day. Like I said, it may not be a problem to some gamers, but it does affect pro games on the long run.。

Karma: Operation Barabossa is a mixture of games like Left 4 Dead, Battlefield, and Call of Duty MW2. It's still PVP, but unlike most MMOFPSs, you can also gain points (level up) by killing the zombie NPCs that flood the arena. The best part about this game is how they managed to take different elements from trademark games and still come up with a product that not only makes these elements work surprisingly well, but also makes it all feel fresh in some way. There are a lot of zombies in the game, and by "A LOT" I mean hordes of undead beings. It may not be that original, but you can't deny that there's nothing more satisfying than driving a solid bullet through a zombie's head.。

It's been a while since we last saw an new FPS online game, and might I say that this one doesn't disappoint. Karma: Operation Barabossa is a fictional MMOFPS set in World War II, where the Germans continue to harass the land of Europe (like I said, completely fictional). Perhaps another factor that would stress the "fiction" part completely would be the ravaging zombies walking around (yep, that's right! Zombies), all thanks to the Mad Scientist, Dr Fritz who lost it during the war. Now that I think about it, the game seems to be a bit late as the zombie era of gaming pretty much ended 2 years ago (if you remember, 2008 = Left 4 Dead, Zombie Apocalypse, Resident Evil 5 etc). The visuals are absolutely stunning, and it is very hard to compare with its older counterparts. It's a fatal-three-way of Player vs Player vs Zombies, so nothing can get more action-packed thanthat.。

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There are two factions to choose from: Germans & Russians (Sorry folks, the zombie faction stays in Left 4 Dead :P). Worry not though, for the game does have a nice set of classes that will keep you playing for hours. There are four default classes in all, each with their own set of weapons and specialties to suit the player's preferred playstyle. There's the Sniper, who technically serves his comrades from afar, the Heavy Weapons Expert, who shoots weapons of mass destruction, the Squad Support who shoots rapid artillery behind the front line, and of course, the common Assault Squad who tend to get bitten first (lol). Since the game is more hostile than your average MMOFPS, players must work together in order to overcome the odds, strategizing all the way while making use of the classes provided.

Questions by Brian Perry Jr. Answered by the Final Fantasy Team

Onrpg: Can you tell us a bit about the forms of PvP that have been added in since the game originally launched?
Since the launch of FINAL FANTASY XI, we have implemented two PvP “sports” known as “Ballista” and “Brenner.” While characters do have allegiance to one of the three nations, the setting of Vana’diel does not really support warfare between the countries. We therefore opted for a “friendly rivalry” approach that emphasized fun, and included no penalties such as loss of experience when KO’d. Balance between the various jobs and support jobs was our number-one priority. We continue to implement checks such as the system that automatically distributes team members by job, and restrictions that are imposed only during PvP to limit certain balance-destroying job abilities.。The second reason is simply to protect our users. RMT transactions usually take place via a third-party RMT site. However, there are RMT sites that exist purely to deceive users into divulging account data and other personal information, as well as sites that seek to infect user PCs with viruses. We have prohibited any RMT activity in FINAL FANTASY XI to prevent such unfortunate incidents from happening.。
Onrpg: Are there any unique game mechanics that were added in for the Wings of the Goddess expansion?
Most of the new game mechanics in the Wings of the Goddess expansion were added to support the Campaign system. Players have expressed appreciation for the ease with which they can travel from town to areas under conflict by using the Campaign-specific warp services. Another game mechanic added at the release of the expansion was the ability to invite other people into your Mog House. Entry to a Mog House was previously restricted to the owner, but now players can share their clever layouts and show off those rare pieces of furniture to their adventuring friends.。Onrpg: Final Fantasy XI is a game that has been around for quite some time now. Why do you think it has lasted so long and continues to thrive? 
FINAL FANTASY XI was the first cross-platform, cross-region MMORPG in the world. For almost six years we have provided an identical gameplay experience to both PC and console users, while releasing simultaneous version updates in four languages. With such a wide variety of players, adventurers populate the lively world of Vana’diel 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Major updates—including all-new features, system changes to improve balance, and the implementation of user requests—take place every few months. This never-ending stream of content ensures there is always some exciting new facet of the game to explore. All of these factors have contributed to the establishment of a player base that has remained at an almost constant 500,000 users over the course of six years and continues to enjoy the evolving world of FINAL FANTASY XI.。By participating in the weekly “tactical assessments,” adventurers can voice their opinions and alter the military policy of their respective army. The tactical assessment results and completion rates of Campaign Ops are then tallied to determine the following week’s battle strategies. In every area, players may encounter NPCs who have no ties to any allied nation. Such NPCs are called “freelances.” Players may convince these freelances to enlist in the Campaign effort, at which point they will ally themselves with the player’s army for a period of one week (Earth time), during which time they will engage in Campaign battles. But rather than read a long explanation such as this, the best way to learn about Campaign is to play it!。
Onrpg: What new classes did Wings of the Goddess, the latest expansion, bring to the game?
The dancer and the scholar were the new jobs introduced in the Wings of the Goddess expansion pack.The dancer stands at the forefront of battle with the melee and heals by using points earned through attacking the enemy--a job style that did not previously exist in FINAL FANTASY XI. By setting a melee job as a support job, it is possible for the dancer to be effective solo or in small groups. The scholar is a magic user, but with multiple abilities that allow for effective and flexible use of spells. As well as providing another magic-using job to choose from, the scholar also allows players to exceed the limits of a spell-based character through creative combinations of magic and abilities.。
Onrpg: Where was the focus in terms of content for this expansion?
The main focus of the Wings of the Goddess expansion is the Campaign system and the Crystal War—a conflict that took place in Vana’diel twenty years before the current timeline. The Campaign system is divided into four main elements: Campaign battles, Campaign Ops, headhunting, and tactical assessments. Player involvement in these activities helps chart the course of the war effort on a week-by-week basis.Campaign battles refer to the conflicts with specific monsters that arise in an area within a select region. The control of the region in question can be shifted to the army of your allegiance through accumulated victories against the occupying beastman forces. Lesser in scope than the large battles waged over the control of lands, Campaign Ops refer to those special operations that afford players the opportunity to engage in a plethora of war-related efforts, including troop reinforcement, supply runs, escorts, reconnaissance, espionage, and small-scale skirmishes.。
Onrpg: SquareEnix has long taken a stance against Real Money Transactions. Can you tell us why you are so strongly against them? 
There are two main reasons why RMT is prohibited in FINAL FANTASY XI. The first reason is the fact that FINAL FANTASY XI was never designed with the existence of RMT in mind. We believe that the objective of a person playing to simply enjoy the game is fundamentally different from a person who plays with the objective of making real-world money. This difference can lead to the actions of an RMT player hindering the playstyle of non-RMT players. The objective of making money encourages excessive farming, and the use of bots and cheat tools, all of which lead to an unhealthy gaming environment and cause other in-game economical problems such as rapid price inflation.。
Onrpg: One major concern that has persisted is the difficulty of starting out. Many have said that without joining the game with friends it can be anywhere from difficult to nearly impossible to reach a point where you can consistently get a party together. Has anything been done about this, or are there any plans to look closer at this?
We are in the process of developing methods for new players to form parties with friends who are already veterans of the game. The exact nature and timing for the introduction of this method has yet to be decided; however, we are aware that this issue has troubled players for some time and hope to implement a solution as soon as possible.。 Questions by Brian Perry Jr. 
Answered by the Final Fantasy Team。
Onrpg: Were there any new quest lines similar to the artifact quests added in to give players more to strive for?
New quests and quest lines are added with every version update. We’re planning on releasing a range of quests that explore a variety of themes, so keep an eye out!。
Onrpg: How does this expansion affect some of the core gameplay aspects of the previous versions of Final Fantasy XI?
The core aspects of the game remain largely unchanged in the expansion. However, we have implemented many small adjustments and added several new features that affect gameplay. Some of these features include the official windowed mode, the Mog House invitation system mentioned earlier, as well as adjustments to battle music that allows players to hear the change in music when engaging a monster regardless of whether or not they have a weapon drawn. And now that macro information can be stored on the server, users can enjoy playing at a net café or other location just as if they were logging in on their own computer.。
Onrpg: What is new for the so-called “endgame” for those who are at level 75 but do not want to play another class?
There is a wide variety of high-level content to choose from in FINAL FANTASY XI. There are the large-scale challenges such as Dynamis and Einherjar, as well as the smaller-scale challenges such as Limbus and Salvage. For those times when less people are available, single parties can also attempt the Nyzul Isle Investigations, or a player can undertake an Assault mission with as few as two friends. Players can choose to participate in any or all of these activities depending on their personal preference and play style.

Switching like the seasons

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While the class system may be a daunting feature in SS2, the skill system is easy enough to understand. You need a mix of class and season points to learn skills. With the switchable class system in place the skill system puts a tinge of strategy on how you use the seasons skill points you have.。

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The problem with the equipment and weapons in SS2 is that the fairly decent ones are only available in the game's World system, SS2's version of a premium item shop. Don't expect the game to be friendly to rely on playing the game for free because the non-currency related equipment are that weak. So if you're looking for a flash-based game that will provide equal footing for players who pay and for those who don't, go to another game and save yourself the trouble.。

The other problem with SS2 is the seeming lack of imagination in terms of the game's skills and monsters. There are times when the skills are practically useless and you are better off using the basic attacks, on the other hand, you have monsters that seem to be doing the same thing over and over again. The lack of variation in attacks may take its toll and will probably lead you to stop playing if you plan on playing the game for a while.。

Cons:
- Decent items and many other things require you to use money
- Repetitive animations
- Unimaginative monsters.。

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So I must say that the game's class system is not really suited for casual gamers who are looking for a pick up and go game. You can however wing it for your first few hours but I'm pretty sure that you'd eventually fall into the notion that you definitely need to understand the class system to be effective.。

Sacred Seasons Season 2 Review: Changing Like the Seasons
By Vincent Haoson (Vincenthaoson), OnRPG Journalist。

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Sacred Seasons is a flash-based game that puts you in the shoes of cycle heroes whose mission is to take back the white city from the evil that has overrun it. The game is a mix of story-driven gameplay and a very engaging class system that you can say is similar to the job class system of console games Final Fantasy Tactics and Jean d'Arc.。

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Battle strategies。

Switching like the seasons。

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Pick your battles。

Of course what would a game be without equipment? With the switchable class system in place, there are a lot of equips and weapons you can use. While the majority of the equipment in the game may be used by several classes, there are some class specific weapons and equips in the higher levels.。

Overall, SS2 is a game that has changed itself beautifully. It kept the things that made the first season of the game good and added a few changes and tweaks to make it into a stellar MMO. While it still has problems in a lot of areas, the game is quite decent enough to play. Players who are willing to part with some of their cash may find it more enjoyable though than free to play players, but then it's up to your own discretion to actually pay or not. 。

 
So many classes to choose from。

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First off, I liked how they incorporated the seasons into the gameplay, with each season having its own special characteristic that suits a player's preferred game style. Personally, I found the game's story quite interesting because this is my first time encountering a game that uses this theme even if the overall idea behind it is already overused in the RPG genre. I also liked that the game sticks to the story's overall concept behind the 'cycle heroes' while making it an interesting game both in its story and its gameplay. However, the most interesting feature the game has is neither of these two. It's the game's class system that practically provides almost 90% of the interest factor for SS2.。

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In SS2, each season has its own version of the same classes. Let's say a soldier class may fall into the four seasons with each season providing a different attribute that is related to the season. Players may also change into the 23 classes available in the game including some hidden classes that can be acquired through special means. Players, however, need to pay a fee to be able to switch season and classes. Players also need to go through special quests before they can even unlock the other classes, which makes things pretty much a chore for new players.。

SS2s class system seems to be a convoluted mish-mash of different classes or the newbies, however, it is pretty important that you have a general idea how each class works and how the seasons affect each job class. Mixing and matching the classes and the season to your gameplay is an adventure in itself and will definitely take most of your time during the first few hours of gameplay. There are a lot of things you can discover in the job classes as you continue on playing and for sure there will be moments where you will eventually be inclined to go to another class and season even after you've already set your heart on one.。

Pros:
- Basic and easy to grasp gameplay
- Huge selection of classes to choose from
- Switchable class and season system.。

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Sacred Season 2 is a good example that a game can be decent enough with the proper use of imagination and a very addictive game system.  However this game would've been better if it was a client based 3D MMORPG rather than just a flash based one. This leads to another problem I found in the game. Being that SS2 is a flash-based MMORPG, the animation of the characters and the monsters are lacking in variations. This is where I stress the point that the game would look better if it were a client based MMO.。

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Upon playing Sacred Season S2, I immediately noticed the revamp of the game's in-game look and quality. SS2 has indeed upgraded to a better-looking interface while retaining its cartoonish theme. At first I thought the game is another version of Adventure Quest, another flash based RPG, but as I ventured deep into Heartland I was totally in for a surprise.

The almighty nut-shot

There's also an issue with slow technical support. The rate at which Nexon responds to player complaints can be painfully slow. For questions with simple answers, they tend to respond quickly, but questions on issues that are more complicated, it can take them weeks or even a whole month before you get a reply.。

Translation FAIL。

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I know that not every gaming portal company out there has millions to spend on securing the publishing rights for high quality games, but neither did Nexon US when they started out. Even before they had MapleStory, they started out with games like Dark Ages and Shattered Galaxy. They were pretty unique for their time and the success of those titles gave Nexon a stepping-stone to publish more unique titles.。

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Nexon is currently the most popular gaming portal in US/CA regions as well as being very popular in Asian territories. All too often though, I hear comments from the general MMO public about how Nexon are terrible at what they do. While I don't think they're perfect, I think they're definitely above average compared to the majority of publishers out there.。

What Nexon likes to do is hand pick titles that they know will be popular. Titles that they know will succeed. Sure, most of their current titles are pulled from their Korean branches, but these are games that appeal to today's generation of gamers.。

(Oh, and just so you know, I'd just like to say that Nexon did NOT ask me to write this article.)。

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Do you ever get the feeling that most gaming portals just pick up new titles at random instead of considering what the general public is interested in? Strangely enough, that's how I feel about them. It's almost as if other gaming portals simply search for new titles that have one or two special features that the entire game revolves around and then the rest of the game falls back on features that have already been done to death.。

Do you remember the nut-shot feature that was included into Combat Arms? Well it was added back in 2009 and is still apart of the game. It does add a bit of strategy that you wouldn't find in any other FPS title on whether you should decide to aim high or aim low.。

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Nexon likes to publish highly polished online games, some of which end up being trend setting titles for the whole industry. Back when Nexon was known as NXGames, they started off with MapleStory, the 2D MMORPG with a 16-bit SNES style. Game developers all over saw MapleStory's success and wanted to make their own 2D MMORPGs to cash in. Now we have a whole bunch of 2D MMOs just like MapleStory such as Wind Slayer, Wonder King, La Tale and many others.。

The almighty nut-shot。

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Gee, it's almost as if they ran the text through Babelfish and called it a day.。

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Nexon shows a lot of love for their community by adding and changing features to appeal to their audiences. For example: Mabinogi went through a huge change of pace by including free storyline quests, rebirths, and more. This change was due mostly to what the community wanted and what Nexon wanted for the community. In fact: since they made a lot of the features available for free, some of the available cash shop services have been rendered useless.。

Nexon are considered to be pioneers in bringing the whole "free-to-play" business model to the US. They started off with the philosophy that if a free game is enjoyable at its core, people will pay money for extra items, features and services to enhance the experience. Nexon started gaining more and more popularity with this philosophy, and pretty soon, lots of publishers were emulating it. You could say that many gaming portals wouldn't have existed had it not been for Nexon to show everyone how it's done.。

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Like I mentioned before, Nexon isn't 100% perfect as they do have some issues with player support and botting control. As popular as their titles are, there are hackers and gold farmers around to ruin things. Nexon's support towards hackers and gold farmers seems to be very lackluster, as abusive users tend to stick around for days or weeks at a time before Nexon takes action against them. They have been stepping up their efforts as of late, but it could be a whole lot better.。

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Botters, hackers and gold farmers still run rampart in Nexon's games。

I suppose with this with article, you could call me a bit of a Nexon fanboy, but I'm not trying to convince you that Nexon is the superior gaming portal.。

Nexon also enjoys hosting events for players to earn free NX credits or cash shop items. They also let players earn free NX credits by doing surveys on site (the whole survey thing was done by a lot of other portals before Nexon started this, though.) Nexon makes it apparent that there are always options available for their players if they truly want a free-to-play experience.。

While it may not be a huge feature, it's nice to know that they're always open to ideas to make their games more fun.。

Those are my general thoughts on Nexon. They're a great company, but not too great. They have good games, tons of events to earn free stuff and they generally show that they care for their players, a lot more then any other gaming portal I've seen, that's for sure. If their tech support and hacker control was better, I would rank them as the best.。

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My thoughts on Nexon - Cut them some slack!
By Michael Sagoe (mikedot), OnRPG Journalist。

Ok... Well maybe not every localized game has translation issues as bad as this, but I'm just saying that you'll never see any of this with Nexon's games.。

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This next part is pretty arguable, but I believe that Nexon's cash shops are all fair and balanced compared to other gaming portals. A lot of free-to-play games tend to push the cash shop on players without them realizing it. Most of Nexon's titles are action skill based, so a player that is generally good at the game will not need the cash shop toadvance. I should know since playing Dungeon Fighter Online, I played my way up to level 33 with a Blade Master and was able to hold my own pretty well in PvP and I didn't touch the cash shop until 5 levels later simply because I wanted to make my character look cool. Several DFO players would say that you need advanced avatar items before you should even consider doing PvP, but if free players need them that badly, they can always purchase advanced avatar items from other players using in-game gold. Nexon just recently included the long awaited auction house system so you can get what you want without having to pay an unreasonable amount of gold for them.。

They also have decent localization teams at Nexon. When they localizes their titles, they take their time in making sure that text and grammar for each game sound right during the translation process, to make players feel as if their games were first developed in English, unlike some publishers that don't take the time to iron out the text and grammar issues with some of their games, like this:。

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Just one of many 2D MMOs attempting to capture MapleStory's glory.