Ever since Gameloft's Order & Chaos Online showed up for download on the Canadian App Store this morning, our forums have gone wild with speculation regarding gameplay, how the IAP works, and everything else. Since the release is Canada-only right now, and the game isn't free, it has left all of our "Canadian" forum members on the outs anxiously awaiting impressions from the few actual Canadians out there. Consider this post a continuation from the one from earlier today, so check that out first if you haven't already.

I decided to play an orc ranger because I wanted to play on the chaos side of things and I've always been partial to ranger-like classes in general. Starting the game, you're inundated with various tips, all of which will be incredibly obvious to anyone who has played an MMORPG before. The early quests, like most (all?) MMORPG's walk you through how the basics of the game works, and the path my orc ranger took involved slaying pigs, killing crabs, and various other low-level kill quests before I decided to go exploring.

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At some point early this morning, Gameloft released their MMORPG Order & Chaos Online on to the Canadian App Store, which seems to be standard operating procedure for a wide-scale "beta" of sorts. Ngmoco and other similar developers all have used the Canadian market to test out how their servers are running and how the game is performing, so it isn't out of the ordinary by any stretch of the imagination to see Gameloft doing something similar.

I've downloaded the game and put around an hour of playtime into it so far, and in the process discovered quite a few of the things we were wondering from the trailers Gameloft previously released. First off, the game isn't freemium which may be a relief for some. It's launching at $6.99, which includes three months worth of subscription to the game. Following that, you can subscribe for a single month for 99¢, three months for $1.99, or six months for $2.99.

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Alright, I'll admit my curiosity has been seriously piqued by Gameloft's upcoming MMORPG. Order & Chaos Online could have some serious potential, especially judging by the following trailer which shows just how many players can be on screen at once in the game:

Unfortunately, details are practically non-existent outside of this trailer and the previously released teaser. Will it be a buy once then play forever game like Guild Wars? Will Gameloft employ the newly implemented iTunes subscription functionality? Will Order & Chaos be free to play with all kinds of IAP? It's hard to say, but I'm thinking we'll find out soon. Historically speaking, Gameloft rarely ever releases trailers for games that are at least somewhat close to release.

If you'd like to join in on the rampant speculation taking place on our forums, it's a pretty good place to hang out with other people remarkably excited for the game.

It's crazy to think that Pocket Legends [Free] came out a year ago. I've heard that one year equals seven in dog years, but with how fast the App Store moves, I'm not even sure what one App Store year would equate to. Lots more. Anyway, Pocket Legends is a free to play MMO of sorts that works quite a bit like Guild Wars both in actual gameplay and with the amount of expansion content they have for sale.

Well, to celebrate the game's anniversary, all of that expansion content is free for a limited time. Better yet, all of this is entirely cross platform and universal, so you can play with friends online regardless of whether they own an iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or even an Android device. We reviewed the game last year, but honestly, so much has changed that you're probably better off spending some time on the official quick start guide to get an idea of what the game is all about now.

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You may recall several weeks back at GDC when we previewed the upcoming massively multiplayer online strategy game Empire of the Eclipse from Zarksoft. This ambitious title aims to offer up an experience that is practically unheard of for a mobile title, with an expansive universe to explore and conquer as you build up an army and take on hundreds or even thousands of other players online. The sheer amount of depth in Empire of the Eclipse is incredible, and Zarksoft has done a marvelous job of creating an intuitive and friendly interface for dealing with it all.

Take a look at this hands-on demo from GDC which explains a tiny bit of what Empire of the Eclipse is all about:

The game was originally slated for the end of March, but after showing off the game to their peers at GDC, the main feedback that Zarksoft received was that the battles in the game lacked a visceral quality. As such, they have gone back to work on this element of the game, along with tightening up the rest of the gameplay to ensure that it will be the best that it can be. Unfortunately, that also means the game will be delayed without a firm release date in sight, though Zarksoft is confident they’ll have the game ready by Summer.

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There's been a shocking amount of crossover between the iOS world and the mainstream world lately. Both Doodle Jump and Angry Birds have tie-ins with major motion pictures, Angry Birds was (vaguely) featured during the Super Bowl and Cut The Rope even took home a BAFTA. When this is discussed on our forums, I've seen a few people seemingly jokingly mention that it won't be long before a game on the App Store has its own dedicated TV commercial. Well, that day is today.

The following commercial is now running on Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, G4, and more:

We thought Pocket Legends was great in our review nearly a year ago. I had no idea that the game was big enough or successful enough for TV commercials until I met with the developers during GDC. Since our initial review, the game has seen several updates to add even more content and functionality. Now is as good of a time as ever to give Pocket Legends a spin, especially if you're looking to get a jump on the inevitable influx of players from this TV advertising campaign.

While the existence of this commercial itself might not seem like that big of a deal, this is a major step in legitimizing smartphone gaming as a mainstream gaming platform in the USA.

Gameloft is getting increasingly blatant with their clones as of late. Starfront - Collision [$6.99] was so StarCraft-y that I've had friends who were shoulder surfing me flat out ask how I got StarCraft on my phone. They're not stopping there though, the latest teaser trailer released by Gameloft revealed today that their sights are set on... World of Warcraft, believe it or not.

Feast your eyes on this:

Details are scarce currently, and it remains to be seen how this game will be sold. Apple has recently added the ability for in-app subscriptions, so Gameloft could be following the typical MMO subscription route. Much more likely though is that this game will have some kind of freemium mechanic to it, which is where I'd place my bets. We'll have to wait and see!

For details as they're released, keep an eye on Gameloft's Facebook page.

It's crazy what we're starting to see on mobile devices as the performance gap closes more and more with each iteration of mobile technology. Back in the day when I was playing EverQuest, Dark Age of Camelot, and other ancient (by today's standards) MMORPG's, I never thought I'd be playing something that looked even remotely similar on my phone. Enter World of Midgard, an MMORPG based on the Unity engine that looks surprisingly similar to those very same 3D classic MMORPG's.

It's still way too early to pass any kind of judgement on this game, but the few YouTube videos that have been uploaded look awfully promising, and the developers seem very excited about the project. For instance, take a look at this fully narrated video on one of the game's dungeons:

Details are vague right now, but forum user Elevas30 compiled an array of responses from the developers to various YouTube comments on our forums. They expect to release the game in about four months, and it initially will come packed with four classes: Fighters, clerics, rogues, and mages. Among other details they've mentioned that all classes will be able to heal and resurrect party members. The game is also slated to be free.

I'm not entirely sure how excited to get about World of Midgard, especially considering the crazy balance issues that will almost surely arise from every class being able to resurrect and heal. Either way, I love that iOS and mobile devices have come so far. If a small team of indie developers few people have ever heard of are building ambitious projects like this, just imagine what would be possible in the future.

For more information and videos from the game, swing by our forums.

Pocket Legends [Free] succeeded where World of Warcraft has failed me. Try as I might, I’ve never been able to play Blizzard Entertainment’s MMO on the toilet. Now, Pocket Legends, on the other hand... man, we’ve had some seriously productive time together on the toilet.

And in Q2 2011, I’ll have to shed Pocket Legends for another MMO created by the gurus over at Spacetime Studios. It’s called Blackstar, and like its predecessor, it’ll feature three unique classes to choose from, a 3D world to interact within, tons of loot, and even a few chat features like in-game chat and friends lists.

Unfortunately, Spacetime isn’t divulging much at the moment about Blackstar other than those basics, but we do know a few cool specifics: its plot, it’s past, and its platforms.

As for the plot, the game will revolve around a “conflict” set in the 41st century between four groups: the arcane-infused Scorn and the cybernetic Riven, and the terrans and their robotic counterparts, dubbed the Mode. The game will, presumably, be split into chapters, but I'd imagine this stuff will have a place in each.

Interestingly, the framework in which this battle will take place is built on the back of an unreleased PC game going by the same name. Spacetime Studios talks up the fact that it is using that title’s tech and art, attempting to reassure folks that the game won’t be a content-light. We’ll have to see about that, though.

But before I close this out, I’ll note this cool factoid: Blackstar is slated to be a cross-platform game, seeing a release in Q2 for both Android and iOS. And while we’re touching on network, know this: the game will support EDGE, 3G, Wi-Fi, and even 4G connections. Radical.

Sounds like Pocket Legends with a sci-fi twist, right? That’s not a bad thing, either. We were huge fans of that initial MMO, and I’d imagine a few community members are still messing around in the world.

It’ll be interesting to see if some of the problems from that game will be addressed in this one, provided that they’re actually related. Also, it’ll be just as interesting to see if IAP will be used as heavily. C’mon Q2!

A few days ago, developer Lakoo released a new iOS MMORPG into the App Store called Empire Online [Free]. Empire Online claims to be the biggest iPhone MMORPG with over 5 million users across Asia and Australia, and it is now available to US players. It's free to download and play, with an IAP currency system. There are four races and five classes to create your character from, with a deep skill system to learn as well as thousands of different items and equipment to collect. What is cool about the equipment in Empire Online is that it affects the look of your avatar, giving you a staggering amount of personalization to set yourself apart from the rest of the players online.

Visually, Empire Online employs an overhead perspective and pixel art style reminiscent of some classic 16-bit RPGs. Combat is turn-based and can have up to 20 combatants in a single battle. You can battle in real-time against other players in single PvP matches or team battles with up to 5 players on each team. Another interesting aspect is creating your own Empire where you can recruit members and battle to take control of territories and build your own cities as you expand your Empire's reach.

What I really like about Empire Online is the touch-friendly interface and ability to customize how you want to play. There are a number of different chat systems in the game that allow you to type out messages to all players, only those in your Empire, private one-on-one chats, and more. These text messages appear at the top portion of the screen, and all other online players' avatars are shown roaming around whatever world you happen to be in. These two elements can add a lot of clutter and confusion to the action on screen, especially when you're first starting out.

Luckily you are able to filter out which types of text messages appear, or turn them off altogether, and you can turn off the other player avatars as well. Shutting both of these off allowed me to focus on the early missions in the game without any distractions, and let me get a handle on how the game played. In this way, you can basically just play Empire Online as a solo game, leveling up your character and completing missions on your own. Likely there will be certain missions that require you to have a helping hand, but for the most part there seems to be a lot of gameplay available for those who aren't keen on interacting with the outside world.

I've enjoyed my fair share of RPGs over the years, but I've never gotten into the whole MMO thing. Partly because I've seen how they can overtake my friends' lives, but also partly because they can be intimidating to a newbie. Empire Online is the first one I've tried that I actually felt I could get the hang of, and I've been having a lot of fun with it so far. While I can't really speak to whether it will be satisfying to hardcore MMO players or not, it's definitely friendly to first-time players or those who are constantly on the go. Player discussion in our forums has been positive towards the gameplay itself, but critical towards the implementation of the IAP. At any rate, it's free to download and try out, so there's no reason not to check out Empire Online if you're in the market for a new MMORPG.

BulkyPix's MMORPG Yslandia [$4.99] recently hit the App Store after a considerable beta testing period in Canada. Earlier this month we posted an extensive hands-on preview of the game, and found quite a bit to get excited about:

In so far as the gameplay is concerned, MMOs traditionally have been about lengthy solo leveling experiences (read: grinding) with a smattering of teamwork needed in certain encounters. Yslandia on the other hand is more focused all around Player vs Player combat and social interactions (but with its own share of grinding). The three islands that make up the initial release of Yslandia are comprised of respective starting islands for the Simeh'a Alliance and the Zaa'me Coalition (essentially, Light vs Dark), and a neutral territory called Gilda where all the PvP combat goes on. And it's on this latter island that most of your time in Yslandia will be spent.

On Gilda, teams have to work together to capture Totems on the battlefield, thereby claiming territories for their Faction. The game itself encourages this teamwork– particularly teamwork through guild participation– by way of its skill system. Departing from any existing skill-building concepts, characters in Yslandia learn additional skills by "training" with other guild members. Every 10 levels, you accumulate training points in addition to your standard skill points, which can then be invested in other guild members, bestowing upon them a skill you currently have learned. Aside from skills learned in this fashion, characters start with 4 skills, 2 of which are usually passive.

'Usually' in this context is used quite loosely, as Yslandia boasts a massive lineup of 18 different classes to choose from divided amongst 6 very different races (some of which have no passive skills). The developers have also gone beyond the usual warrior/ranger/mage archetypes to offer interesting classes such as the Necrophage, the Lycan Bloodhound or the mana-sucking Nocturn Deceiver.

A thread on our forums is serving as a bit of a staging point with people trading tips and likely banding together as more people pick up the game. Similar to nearly every MMO launch since the beginning of recorded human history, Yslandia has a few bugs and some areas that feel rough around the edges. Thankfully, tthe developers are actively posting in the previously mentioned thread and mentioned that an update to address these problems and implement Game Center support is in the works.

A little over a month ago I first posted my review of Godville [Free] and was entirely amused by the concept behind the game. In essence, Godville is barely a game at all, as your interaction with the world is limited to either encouraging or punishing your hero who otherwise just goes about his business. You play as your hero's god, and the "game" basically consists of you reading the events that transpire in your hero's life. Depending on how you treat your hero either through punishment or encouragement, your hero will either be a cold hearted bastard killing everything in its path or a happy go lucky lover of all things living... Or something in between.

Godville is a community driven game, and once your hero reaches level 10 you're able to participate in the idea box. You can submit ideas for items, equipment, quests, enemies, combat actions, and tons of other things. Users then vote on these entries, which are eventually implemented in the game. Initially, the adventures of your hero in Godville when the game first launched were fairly repetitive, but after a month of idea box submissions from users, the game has only grown more amazing.

Not only is Godville getting better from user submissions, but the developers have been hard at work releasing updates both to the Godville client itself, and the web-based backend that powers the whole game. Special artifacts are one of my new favorite inclusions. These are new items that your character will loot from monsters or win from duels that have special abilities. Of course your hero is entirely too stupid to operate said artifacts themselves, but you can spend your god power (otherwise used for punishing and encouraging) to have them operate the item. These items can teleport them back to town, put a gold brick in their inventory, strike a death from their records, and many other things.

The amusing part of all this is that if you don't catch that your hero has one of these special artifacts in their inventory, chances are they'll just give it away, sell it, or otherwise get swindled out of it before you even have a chance to use it. Even if you do use it and it has some marvelous effect, they'll usually just hawk it for beer money anyway. How little control you have over your hero is part of what makes Godville so much fun for me, as my hero almost never does what I want him to do, but seemingly has developed his own (fairly stupid but evil) personality of his own.

Previous to the recent update, your character would randomly find themselves in duels with the heroes of other players. Now, every few hours, you can send your hero off to an arena to immediately participate in these duels. Aside from potentially humiliating another god with defeat, winning a duel also awards you all the coins that the opponent is holding along with some other swag... This is often lost anyway as your hero's ego grows and he bites off more than he can chew in combat, then endlessly begs you to be resurrected.

I decided to post about this game again not only because it has had significant updates since our initial review, but also because I'm downright amazed that a game that isn't really even technically a game has held my attention for so long. Checking up on what my Godville dude is doing has somehow managed to slip in between checking my email and checking my Twitter feed on my phone. Admittedly, when I first tried the game I thought Godville had sky-high novelty value, but I didn't see it lasting for me as most novelty-heavy games are only amusing until said novelty runs out.

The buckets of creativity being dumped in to Godville seems to always make loading up the game amusing. Initially I only saw Godville as a clever jab at the grind of RPG's as instead of you spending your time grinding, your hero does it for you. After spending an immense amount of time with the game over the last month, Godville seems to be the most captivating virtual per experience I've had so far on the iPhone. If you haven't yet, you really need to give this game a try to see if it grows on you just as much as it has grown on me.

The amount of post-launch support Spacetime Studios has given their free MMO [Free: iPhone Universal / iPad Only] got even more impressive lately with the release of Pocket Legends 1.2 which adds three main features to the game:

PvP - In team deathmatch arenas vaguely similar to World of Warcraft's arena system, players choose sides and battle the other team. The various arenas have different sizes, player limits, and even power-ups. Points are awarded for killing other players, and when the score limit is reached a scoreboard displays showing the match standing.

Secure Trade - Inspecting other players now give you a new option to securely trade items, gold, and potions. Just like any MMO, a trade window will appear for both players to confirm the trade before the transaction is complete.

Elixirs - Using gold or platinum players can purchase a number of different elixirs which do things like increase movement, experience gain, damage, and even armor. Elixirs last for five minutes and don't stack on top of each other. Also, they can only be used in the story mode so players don't have to worry about buying elixirs to be competitive in PvP.

Spacetime Studios released a new trailer that shows the new PvP arenas:

If you haven't tried Pocket Legends yet, there's really no reason to keep resisting at this point. The game is free to try, and is one of the more impressive realtime multiplayer experiences available on the App Store.

In the wake of the free to play movement on the App Store, Ubisoft has recently released an iPad client for their free browser game, Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms. Currently only available in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms puts players to the task of managing their kingdom, bossing around their heroes, and do the typical MMO-style resource gathering and management by capturing mines.

After your kingdom is booming, you'll be able to wage battles which Ubisoft is describing as "epic" with other players by creating or joining alliances to conquer new territory in attempt to control the entire in-game world of Ashan.

If you're an iPad owner in Germany, France, or the UK, give the free iPad client a spin and see what you think. Since it is free to download, if you're outside of those three countries and you really want to get a jump on the game before it hits the US App Store, it shouldn't be too hard to create an international account to snag the game.

United Kingdom App Store Link: Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms, Free

We first heard of Blizzard's plans to improve the functionality of the Mobile Armory [Free] app to include access to the auction house back in February. MMO Champion has all the details today on the recently released Remote Auction House functionality of the existing Mobile Armory app which currently only works for a small number of World of Warcraft servers as part of a beta test of the service.

To use the Mobile Armory you will need a World of Warcraft or Battle.net account, with most of the features requiring an active World of Warcraft subscription. If you're lucky enough to play on the hand full of servers currently supported, using the existing Mobile Armory app you will not only be able to buy items on the in-game auction house, but also sell any item from your character's bags, bank, or mailbox as well as manage all the gold generated from said auctions.

Currently, this functionality is free but limited to 25 total transactions a day, a number which will be increased at launch, according to Blizzard. At the conclusion of the beta test, the auction house features of the Mobile Armory will split in to free and paid functions. Without paying for anything, you will be able to browse and view the auction house along with getting real-time notifications when your auctions sell, expire, or you are outbid or win an auction. For $2.99 on top of your existing WoW subscription you'll be able to do all the buying and selling mentioned previously.

Towards the bottom of the new Remote Auction House site is a chart that details the feature differences of the two subscription tiers.