PS3 Fanboy impressions: FreeRealms

Sony Online Entertainment has promised a number of MMO games that will appear on PC and PS3. However, none of them have come to fruition quite yet. The most likely candidate for release appears to be FreeRealms, SOE's innovative MMO game. The game is almost reaching beta on the PC, and from what we've seen so far, it's shaping up to be a fun way for casual gamers to jump online into a safe online world. Best of all, FreeRealms' big gimmick: it's free.

This isn't meant to be a World of Warcraft-killer, and we think that's a good thing. By aiming for younger players (and their families), FreeRealms has crafted an intuitive, easy-to-read and use interface that looks charming. The UI takes advantage of easily identifiable icons, and the screen real estate is wisely used. This is great for the console player too: the large icons can be easily selected with a PS3 controller.

For better or for worse, FreeRealms tries to appeal to many by featuring a variety of mini-games. Unlike other MMO games, your character isn't tied to one class. You can be a Ninja, Explorer, Wizard -- whatever you want. In fact, you can change your class at any time, so that you're able to tackle each situation appropriately. The freedom to change classes gave the development team at SOE the opportunity to create a wide variety of gameplay modes, from racing to combat, to card battling and cooking. A universal experience points system makes it so that doing anything in the game will let you level up any aspect of your character, in any class mode.

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Those that want a casual, family-friendly experience in FreeRealms will get it easily. There are tons of places to go to, each with unique gameplay modes that don't involve any combat, PvP or against AI. However, those that want to go fighting can do so in self-contained instances scattered throughout the game world. The developers note that the battle system will most likely be very different between the PS3 and PC versions: the PS3's input will make it more of an action game, where the face buttons will directly correspond with the actions you perform on screen. This should make it more engaging for console owners.

FreeRealms is the first fully 3D MMORPG that's being made available for free -- with no monthly fees whatsoever. The gameplay will be supported by in-game advertising, and sponsored in-game items (a Mountain Dew potion, perhaps?). While it may not appeal to the hardcore with its cutesy art style and gameplay, we think casual gamers will love the number of options available to them. Unfortunately, although the PC version is getting prepped for beta release, PS3 owners are going to have to wait much longer for the eventual port. Regardless, we can't wait to find out more about SOE's upcoming PS3 endeavors.