[WHAT'S NEW?] Soul Master - MMORTS

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Soul Master - CBT Review - MMORTS 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-IYY971kNU (Just Click the link for the Video Review)

Soul Master is a MMORTS published and hosted by GamesCampus. Currently in the close beta phase, this title is constantly improving and polishing its features to be favoured by the public. I’ve had great pleasure playing this game; however I found many aspects I personally think need some improvement. Soul Master is one of the very few MMORTS, let alone free MMORTS, that introduce a landscape modeled to that of fantasy world. The game currently features Eindrif, Forestun and Sagerune. Some would consider this unoriginal, but personally I found the feature extremely plausible, as I would be able to explore fantasy landscapes through the game (okay, so it’s not anything compared to the real thing, but it is still interesting).

Gameplay

The game features a persistent world populated by player-generated characters and NPC’s. At character creation, a player selects one of three basic classes and can then customize the character’s appearance. There are races to choose from. The character’s class decides what armor that character can wear and what weapons and skills that character can use in battle. Players do not fight with the starting character alone; as each character levels up, Soul and Skill will level up too. During the mandatory tutorial section at the beginning of the game, a player collects his/her souls; as the character collects more seeds, it can control more souls, up to the maximum, which makes for a party of maximum size. All characters can, in addition, pursue a number of crafting abilities. The game design puts strong emphasis on the concept of real time story plus RPG. Teams can control the various base on the pvp map and wage war on one another. Battle in Soul Master is rather unusual for the genre as it is MMORTS. Representations of hostile parties wander around the landscape.

Questing

The questing aspect of MMORTS is most certainly not where this game shines. I found the quests I had completed very generic and unrewarding, however the storyline behind each quest is quite interesting to listen to for the most part (that’s right, I said listen). Some quests even feature an “auto walk” feature that brings you right to the needed NPC.

Graphics, Animation & Sounds

The Graphics & Animation are quite compelling for their true beauty, however they are considered quite well put together for a free game. However, I do not believe this game should be judged negatively on its graphics quality, because they are still decent enough to be labelled average. As for the music and overall sound of this title, I must say I was impressed. I have not experienced travelling the entire game map, but I am eager to hear the music each area provides. They put you in the right setting and mood, I highly approve of it. I do not suspect one would be disappointed over the music at the very least. The various sounds are acceptable for the most part, and the characters voices are surprisingly well done.

Personal Recommendation

Playing Soul Master has exposed to me a completely new style of MMORTS + RPG gaming. This game is extremely unique, so if you are looking for something eccentric and different, this is a great game to try. Consequently, by saying different, I only imply the systems and general game play this game offers. The graphics are very Outstanding, I cannot stress that enough. If you are sick of the current free MMORPG market, you will have to set aside your hatred for these others generic graphics to be able to enjoy this game. Another disappointment was the lack of customization. Your characters will severely lack uniqueness, because of gender lock, also there are only approximately few hair styles and face styles per class, and only a few color choices. You will find many clones of your character running about. For a close beta though, this game still has a lot of room to grow, and I see a positive future for its current player base. I give Soul Master a B grade.

Pros

* High-end graphics

* Unique style of gaming

* Interesting environments/Mission Map

* Real Time Strategy + RPG

Cons

* Requires a decently powerful machine

* Little to no customization

Open Beta Test this coming August 12!