free2play posts

Each week we find more and more free games that do not quite fit into the freeware mold. Games that do not require a subscription fee to play, but encourage player usage of money through microtransactions or special subscription services. This is Playing For Free, a column that showcases these games.

World of Warcraft is the most popular MMO on the market for a reason. It combines a healthy dose of action with the standard grind of RPGs to make for a truly addictive experience that almost all other MMOs are judged by. Is this judgement fair? Certainly not. However, it's hard not to judge a game like Runes of Magic by World of Warcraft's standards, given that Runes of Magic is basically the same game, just with a fresh coat of paint and some new features. It's a blast to play, and if you don't want to shill out the money for a World of Warcraft subscription, it might be your bag of tea.

Atlantica Online, the free-to-play turn-based strategy MMO recently released version 689. Updates include a new level cap, regions and quests. Check the official site for more information. You can download the full client or patch from Big Download.

Download Atlantica Online Install Client v689 (2.17 GB)
Download Atlantica Online v689 Patch (62 MB)
Check out all Atlantica Online downloads

This trailer for The Chronicles of Spellborn demonstrates some of the graphics and gameplay players can expect as they enter this fee-to-play MMO. The game releases in parts of Europe tomorrow (November 27), and later in more European countries on December 5. The U.S. launch is currently scheduled for January 2009.

Download HD Chronicles of Spellborn Launch Trailer (106 MB)