A Virtual Lesbian Life: Atlantica Online

With the current economic times as they are, many of us poor gamers are facing the fact that gaming is an expensive hobby. Happily, there are some options out there for the gamer who needs their fix but is lacking in cash. One of my current favorites is the new virtual world of Atlantica Online. This free massively multiplayer online game, currently in open Beta, is beautiful, fun and totally addictive.

When it comes down to a choice between putting gas in the car or food on the table and buying the latest hot game, the choice is pretty clear. Gaming should always be secondary to the basic needs of survival. And if it isn’t, then perhaps you should check out my last column…

Thankfully, there are a large number of free games of all variety available via the internet. Everything from basics like online Scrabble to huge virtual worlds like Second Life can be enjoyed for little to no cost. Although many free games have the option to pony up cash for ‘upgrades’ and nifty items for your characters, a savvy player can enjoy many of these games thoroughly without having to open up their wallet.

My new best gaming friend during these tough economic times is the refreshingly fabulous massively multiplayer world of Atlantica Online. I’ll be honest, most free online worlds I’ve checked out have been entirely disappointing. Sad, painfully ugly graphics, lack of interesting content and boring grinding categorize most free to play games of this kind. Atlantica Online is a huge step above the majority of similar type games out there I’ve tried out.

Image courtesy of Atlantica Online

I came across an advertisement for Atlantica on my favorite online gaming info site, MMORPG.com. Rated quite well by players, with a number of very positive reviews, I decided to check it out despite my hesitation in playing another ‘free’ game. Right from the start, I was far more than pleasantly surprised.

The world of Atlantica Online described by the game’s developers: To save the world you must find the lost land of Atlantis. Your journey will take you all over the Earth, including ancient wonders of the world like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Pyramids of Egypt. Traveling from sites such as Angkor Wat to Bran Castle to uncover clues will make for an adventure filled with mystery and excitement.

I found the storyline interesting and the plot is integral to your entire experience in the game as you journey around the world undertaking quests to unlock the next set of clues you need in your ultimate mission to save the world. Unlike many other online game worlds (even the higher-class, mucho expensive ones), each quest stacks pleasingly, rolling into the next one in an ongoing story. I find this much more preferable than doing the same boring, repetitious missions over and over in an endless grinding that seems to have little overall point besides leveling up. Even in my favorite ‘paid’ MMO, EVE Online, this gets boring really fast. Atlantica’s content in this area is quite stellar for any MMO and for a free one -- really impressive. As are its graphics.

Some players might be a bit disappointed when they log in for the first time to Atlantica and are presented with extremely limited character customization options. Although you can choose a decently wide range of ‘specialties’ (like Archer, Spearman, Swordsman, Gunner, etc.), your avatar choices are restricted to a tiny selection of face types, hair types and colors and that’s mostly it. There are no selections for body types and outfits are initially restricted to only a couple of choices.

This is one area that personally I find a bit annoying with Atlantica, because nearly all the avatars in the game kind of look like cookie-cutter copies of each other. Later on, when you upgrade armor and such, you do at least get a bit more choice in outfits, though most people of a similar level look the same because armor choices per level are very restricted. But, it’s really a minor annoyance overall -- the avatars are at least graphically appealing and quite attractive in appearance.

One of the more unique, and fun, aspects of Atlantica is the ability to build your own ‘party’ of for-hire mercenaries to accompany you around the game and fight in battle with you. As the developers say: You do not travel, or fight, alone in your quest for Atlantis: You control your main character and up to 8 mercenaries in battle, using each of these characters' unique skills to develop tactical combat strategies.

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