City builders

What We Liked..

Fluid action based combat

Easy to level

No hidden pay walls

.. and what we didn't

Dated graphics

Player population is moving towards consoles

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5

Genre: action, mmorpg

Setting: fantasy, city

Graphics: full 3D

PvP: guild or factions matches or duels PvE PvP


DC Universe Online is a great superhero MMORPG that's free to play and features many solid systems such as a fluid combat mechanic and deep character customization system to create the perfect superhero.

The world of DC Universe Online is also rich and authentic, which players who've read all the comics and watched the movie adaptations can certainly appreciate. Almost all iconic characters such as Batman, Superman and The Joker make appearances, and in fan-favorite locations such as Gotham City and Metropolis.

Overall, DC Universe Online is a solid MMORPG for a five year old game, and offers hours of fun on the PC or consoles

➔ Main points:

  • Nonrestrictive character creation system
  • Good action based combat system
  • The console friendly factor
  • Authentic DC Universe lore and world that stays true to the comics

What We Liked..

Relaxing

Colorful

.. and what we didn't

Nothing (if you can live without killing everything that moves)

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5

Genre: strategy, managerial, simulation

Setting: present, city

Graphics: full 3D

PvP: no fighting


One day you receive a letter from your grandfather asking for your help. A strange stone circle has appeared in the peaceful world of Sunrise Village. The buildings are overgrown with thorny vines and everything else is shrouded in a mysterious thick fog. The events seem to be connected to an ancient story about legendary craftsmen who created six magical crystals to harness their elemental energy. Will you manage to find the crystals? Hurry up and help your grandfather to rebuild the village and uncover its secrets!

Meet friendly villagers on your way and help them repair their houses and workshops. Take care of your adorable farm animals: Chickens and cows need your attention. Harvest vegetables such as peas and produce goods such as hay, plywood, gravel - and even sweets! You'll need these and many other resources to generate energy, rebuild the farm, construct a hot air balloon, travel the countryside and finally solve the mystery of Sunrise Village.

Take a break from hectic city life, enjoy a pristine natural landscape and explore the breathtaking beauty of Sunrise Village, its forest and other locations in the area. Navigate the world map and unlock new areas. Let's go on an adventure!

What We Liked..

Realistic strategic warfare

Long-term game

Rewarding social aspects

.. and what we didn't

Unattractive graphics

Very slow progression

No sounds and music

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5

Genre: strategy, war

Setting: fantasy, historical, city

Graphics: animated artworks

PvP: guild or factions PvP all vs all


Thirty Kingdoms by Bytro Labs is a free to play empire building strategy game for web browsers. As the ruler of your kingdom, the gameplay will have you look after your provinces by managing your resources, building new structures from well fleshed out tech trees, and players will need to expand by taking over hostile territories. To do that, players can build up an army of various units and send them away in real time to do battle, and the outcome is decided by multiple realistic factors such as army morale and terrain.

The most interesting thing about Thirty Kingdoms is its level of realism, and actions such as moving armies and building structures will take a long time to complete. Game progression will be slow which means that not everyone will enjoy it. However, the game does provide multiple socializing options that allows for diplomatic and cunning styles of play.

Thirty Kingdoms is a good immersive kingdom building game that offers hours of fun that lasts for prolonged periods of time. While the graphics are minimal and there are no in-game sounds, players who enjoy strategy games without the hassle of additional downloads or slow internet will definitely find something to like in Thirty Kingdoms.

➔ Main points:

  • Long-term empire building that feels realistic
  • Immersive and strategic gameplay
  • Fantastic socializing options that helps diplomatic gameplay
  • Good variety of buildings and army units to build
  • Minimal requirements for a browser-based game

What We Liked..

PvP centered action

Resource mining and control

Fun and easy to jump into play immediately

.. and what we didn't

Unable to auto select all units on combat field

Basic warfare animation

Annoying and repetitive sound effects

Waiting times for task completion

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5

Genre: simulation, war, managerial

Setting: city, sci-fi

Graphics: animated artworks

PvP: all vs all PvP


War Commander charges you with the role of Commander over a growing platoon of vehicles and military personnel. The game runs in a browser based platform so almost no download is needed and you can play right away. Chrome or Firefox is recommended. War Commander will be instantly likeable for anyone who enjoyed Starcraft. This is a budget version of the similar mechanics and gameplay found in Starcraft, build a base, hire troops and defend it. There is a pleasing aspect of finding resources, gathering them and securing access to defend your supply base. The game delivers well enough to enjoy PvP action in a simple environment with a lot of playability for a long time to come. There's always something to do, units to upgrade, weapons to research and players to attack. If you're looking for a game that offers action, this is one that doesn't need huge memory or graphic intensive computers, which makes it fun and appealing to a lot of people.

What We Liked..

5 vehicle classes

Next- gen visuals

destructible landscape

continuous updates to game

.. and what we didn't

lack of realism with in game graphics

Only two pvp options

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5


Watch the trailer:

Genre: war, shooter, simulation

Setting: present, city

Graphics: full 3D

PvP: guild or factions PvE PvP


Satisfy your thirst for destruction with Armored Warfare, a modern day military game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Mail.Ru.
An open beta was launched on October 8, 2015 with optional premium accounts coming soon.

Armored Warfare has been noted for its competitive co-op battles and use of modern day tanks and artillery.
In this free-to-play MMO, you have the opportunity to take on your environment or your fellow players. The chance for ultimate destruction is guaranteed.

➔ Main points:

  • Captivating Story-line
  • Beautiful Next-Gen Visuals
  • Dynamic Destructible Environment
  • Engaging Team-Based Combat
  • Customizable Equipment

What We Liked..

Tactical team-based fun

Great graphics and sound

Good amount of freelancers

Easy to learn

.. and what we didn't

Must pay to unlock all freelancers

No built-in voice chat

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5

Genre: strategy, war, MOBA

Setting: sci-fi, city

Graphics: full 3D

PvP: PvE PvP


Atlas Reactor by Trion Worlds is a refreshing turn-based tactical team PVP game that pits two teams of four players against each other. The game's unique gameplay is its selling point, proving that MOBA isn't the only option when it comes to competitive group play.

The game boasts well designed and balanced heroes called Freelancers, and their ability to influence games is largely down to the skill of the player, the strategy of the team and how well they communicate as a group, rather than the strength of the Freelancer.

Overall, Atlas Reactor is a very fun game to play and offers hours of strategic fun for both hardcore and casuals. The game is easy to learn but hard to master, and considering that it's free to play, it will keep gamers coming back for a long time to come.

➔ Main points:

  • Refreshing turn-based tactical team PVP that challenges traditional MOBAs
  • 16 Freelancers to choose from that are unique and balanced
  • Requires team strategy and communication over individual skill
  • Great graphics that doesn't require high-spec computers to play
  • Small download size

What We Liked..

engaging gameplay

detailed structure upgrades

colorful graphics.

.. and what we didn't

Graphics not detailed enough

dialogue text is very small.

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5

Genre: strategy, casual, mmorpg, managerial

Setting: present, city

Graphics: animated artworks

PvP: no fighting PvE PvP


A fun to play game with lively graphics, Big Farm comes in as a good competitor to the run of the mill farming games. Based on the concept of balancing your resources and making your farm blossom, the game offers a number of avenues which you can take up to maximize your profits. Crops can be grown and harvested and animals can be raised while using fertilizers and other boosters.

Big Farm also offers the players to enjoy a few multiplayer game modes in which they can apply their expertise and achieve the objectives before their rivals to win. They can also play together as a team and expand their farms the best they can. Big Farm is very simple to play on one hand, and offers unique building upgrades on the other, making it a really fun game to play.

➔ Main points:

  • A farming game with colorful graphics.
  • Engaging multiplayer element.
  • Fun gameplay.
  • Easily understandable objectives.
  • Graphic details could have been better.

What We Liked..

Highly realistic thanks to modern day setting and accurate depiction of military units

Active player base with Alliances recruiting across all game worlds

Dynamic weather system that can change battle outcomes

Achievement system that's uncommon for this type of game

.. and what we didn't

Slower than usual progression to encourage the purchase of premium Diamonds to speed things up

High learning curve for players that aren't familiar with military language

Graphics and artwork aren't the best to look at

No horizontal progression such as Champions to break the waiting game monotony

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5


Watch the trailer:

Genre: strategy, war

Setting: sci-fi, city

Graphics: animated artworks

PvP: guild or factions all vs all


Desert Operations is a highly realistic military themed strategy game that is free to play and has a modern day setting. The gameplay revolves around familiar strategy mechanics such as building, researching, resource management and real time-based PvP warfare. The game worlds are populated and advancing your nation is a fun challenge as players navigate through mechanics like a dynamic weather system that could change the outcome of battles. In addition to that, joining social Alliances will be crucial for the late game, but there are there things to do like hunting Achievements which is rare for games of this genre.

Other aspects of Desert Operations aren't the best such as graphics and aesthetics, but that won't matter too much if you're used to browser-based strategy games. While Desert Operations is easy to jump into, it does have a high learning curve for non-military enthusiasts and there is a very slow rate of progression which encourages you to spend real money on Diamonds to progress things like building or recruiting faster.

➔ Main points:

  • Modern day setting with familiar strategy mechanics
  • Realistic depiction of military units, buildings and tech to reflect today's era
  • Active player-base thanks to more than 6 worlds to play on
  • Short and succinct tutorial to get new players up to speed and playing in less than 5 minutes

What We Liked..

Excellent graphics

fighting and gameplay seems quite original.

.. and what we didn't

Absence of PvP makes the game uni-dimensional

Buildings look similar to each other.

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5


Watch the trailer:

Genre: strategy, war, managerial

Setting: fantasy, historical, city

Graphics: animated artworks

PvP: no fighting PvE


A browser-based strategy, city-building game, Elvenar allows you to play as either humans, or elves, while taking control of your civilization's economy and army.
The game starts off with a Town Hall, but as with other city building games, the settlement can be expanded, constructing roads and buildings in the process.

Elvenar doesn't require a player to over-commit to the game, and you can 'come and go' as often as you like through the day and manage your city step by step. To make things easy, there is no PvP mode in the game, so players don't get attacked every now and then, and don't have to log on and play to defend the city.

The absence of a PvP mode in Elvenar is made up for by a truly engaging PvE experience where you can fight battles which aren't fully automated like in many other similar, yet boring games.
The combat is turn based where you have to use a lethal strategy to beat your opponent using an army of fighters with varying skills and abilities.

➔ Main points:

  • Pacific strategy browser-game.
  • Co-existence of humans and mythical creatures.
  • Economy is key to building an army.
  • Different types of buildings and unique soldiers introduced.
  • No PvP mode, but innovative PvE with turn-based combat system.

What We Liked..

Intense FPS action

Small download size

.. and what we didn't

Mediocre graphics

Unbalanced cash shop

Similar to other titles

3.2 out of 5
Editorial vote: 6.5

Genre: action, shooter

Setting: city

Graphics: full 3D

PvP: guild or factions PvP


Piercing Blow is a free-to-play MMOFPS from Korea, where it’s been out for a while. It’s low on character customisation, but high on map variety, offering several modes across over 40 maps for you to explore and kill people on. The majority of the environments and scenarios are completely without novelty for any experienced player - all the old favourites are here.

While the game may not feel the need to add anything new to an already successful formula, it does offer fairly decent shooter gameplay. Maps are well designed, even if the Counterstrike-era graphics are mostly ugly, and with a small, undemanding file size, Piercing Blow runs smoothly.

A wealth of guns and weapon upgrades are available to those willing to pay real money for them, a factor that significantly unbalances the playing field. The only other way to unlock decent gear is by playing and winning daily tournaments. Basically, if you’re not already a skilled shooter or ready to pay for a better gun, you’re not going to make it here.