hi guys, So I feel I've missed out a lot and am currently on the hunt for somethign a little different.....what is this world of free to play games and what should I play? I'm going to jump into hawken when that comes about but what else is around and what's the gameplay comparable to?
ive recently started playing team fortress 2, its quite good for a free game, a lot of free FPS games ive tried seem to be missing something but can never quite put my finger on it.
World of Tanks is worth a pop. Hawken will be very good I think, what about the Battlefield that went F2P? Was that console only?
There's two. Battlefield: Heroes (More WW2 and vietnam era, cartoon-style). Battlefield: Play4Free (Modern design and weapons)
World of Tanks can be good and quite addictive but the majority of players are brain dead which makes progressing past tier 8 without a premium account a horrible, seemingly endless grind. Even with premium it feels like hard work.
Lots of good free MMORPG's you can play too! My favorite is Vanguard:Saga of heroes. It's one of the few "free to play" games out there which is actually free - you could get to max level and do everything without paying anything. You aren't even hindered much either. You have less bag space and stuff but you can still get by. Great game too.
You could try APB Reloaded. Open world squad based 3PS with immense customization. Originally built on an enormous budget so it doesn't feel cheap, it has a nice tight combat system with a medium time to kill and a high skill ceiling, for better or worse there's lots to learn in-game. Currently there's a small dev team behind it, they're great guys being held back by legacy issues and a horrible publisher. The paid items are a bit expensive but you absolutely do not need them. For a more standard modern shooter go for Blacklight Retribution.
Both are basically just pay to win Hawken is looking good. Though my pc is a bit dated to handle the alpha.
Outside of LoL and Dota most free to play games require some form of payment to get anywhere in them.
Wish it was out of beta so I wasn't the only person in my group playing it. But yes, it's a superb game. /rocks out with dota 2 lanyard
Blacklight Retribution (BLR), and Planetside 2 (PS2). They are both so good, I have spent money on them! If you like the rock / paper / scissors of Battlefield, then you'll feel at home in BLR. Which actually has a better r/p/s system. And if you ever believed Dwarfers opinions of 3D spotting in normal, then you'll feel right at home, with key gameplay feature - Wall Haxs. The cheesecake is always hitting the fan. BLR has a great 50% off sale for a couple more days on the Machete and Health injector.
Firefall. Tribes 2 meets Gears of War meets Heavy Metal meets Dune. And yes, it's as good as it sounds. Uses a pseudo-Borderlands style of graphics.
Planetside is not free to play yet, you can buy the Alpha Squad package and get straight in the Beta, but its not out yet. Word on the Warpgate is that it should be out before end of year.
From the list so far, i'll address my feelings on some mentioned. DOTA2 - I'm not very good yet, but this is a fun game and easy to jump into. You may get ownd by those uber-players who master a single character... but that's true of any game. It's not game breaking here and for a free game it's got a TON of replayability. Plus, Steam platform is a big plus. APB:Reloaded - I completely agree with the description above. This game, to me, plays like a MMO GTA... which is pretty much what it is. There are some quirks and definite bonuses from paying for extras, but most aren't game breaking. Some of the 'premium' guns you can buy are a bit overpowered, but almost all upgraded weapons are on a 10day timer... so there's a balance. I think some premium guns are 30days though. Driving is really fun and not sloppy. Combat includes leaning, which is a bonus to me, and overall feels balanced. Skill plays a large role, though shotgun wh*res can ruin a lot of combat with a auto-shotty... also common in all online shooters lol. For a free game, also a ton of value. I played a TON over the past 2 weeks really... got a nice car (truck... the Patriot for those who play) and some nice guns. It's fun, but I burned out quick. I'm on NA1 (Joker) if anyone is there and wants to play sometime. Same name on there if you want to friend me. I played Raiderz beta and really couldn't get into it. It has a nice premise.. but it just didn't feel like it came together very well in the end. I played it for a few days, got bored, and uninstalled. It's hard to be a MMO these days since everything is now coined a 'WoW clone'... when WoW was a clone of Everquest, which copied Ultima Online... an MMO is an MMO is an MMO... pick your flavor. TF2 is mentioned too... I just can't get into it. Just not my style I guess lol. I play at LANs for fun, since it can be fun... but like i said... I just can't get into it to choose to play on my own. For the large following it has though, I'd definitely recommend it to try. My personal favorite that has gone unmentioned as of yet, is Vindictus. This game now has a LOT on content. It wasn't the case early on, as i've been in since beta on and off, but now there's a TON to do and all 5 characters released. Graphics are great for this game, and the pay structure doesn't really offer any edge. So no pay-2-win here. The playstyle is a freeform action game cut into missions. You can redo missions as needed, and the accompanying story is none too shabby either if you care to read. Each character plays unique, and the game is very polished now. LOTS of challenges to be had if you want as well. This is handled by Nexon and is known as Mabinogi Heroes in other countries, but I (in the US at least) play it as Vindictus. VERY much recommend a look see here. There's a ton of other f2p games out there as well. Browse Steam and pick one at random... you're sure to kill a few days at a time that way if you're lenient with your time.
Best ones in my experience are Team Fortress 2 and Tribes Ascend; the latter being my favourite, seems to be truly free, play to win, and it does require skill. There are a lot of really bad F2P games out there, but hey, they are free, so you can try them all out ;-) you might like something that no one else here would...