I finally got my package today, and wasn’t as lucky as our fellow tester over at hellokittyjunkie.com- who got the full kit. *Jealous*

I got the slimmed-down pack, as seen here: (Yeah, I’m that lazy)

Case, DVD, & Booklet. Also in the envelope, was a letter with my UN/PW, and another booklet with a few game details on it.

It was announced that the CB will start at 00 (Midnight) Apr 23rd, Hong Kong Time. (That’s GMT +8.) I got to thinking, what time will taht be for me? I’m in the US eastern time zone, which is GMT -5.  So i did some math [scary thought]+8 -  -5 = 13. Ok, that’s all well and good. Then I remembered, oh yes, that wonderful daylight savings is in effect. Great.

So at this point not wanting to get the wrong time & panic, I found this:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/fixedtime.html?month=4&day=23&year=2008&hour=0&min=0&sec=0&p1=102

So with this chart, you just need to find the city nearest to you in your time zone. Much easier, I think.

And a link to my thread on the forums. 

 The past few days, I’ve seen posts on the forums of users proclaiming that they have recieved their beta test packages. I have a feeling mine got lost in the campus mailroom as teh staff are lazy and mail doesn’t get sorted until Monday.

Lame. At least the testing doesn’t start until Thursday.

Two days ago, word got out that Sanrio had shipped out the HKO beta packages. I’m so pumped. Someone in Australia got theirs already, so I’m hoping mine will be here soon. Unfortunately mail on campus rarely gets sorted on Saturdays, but I still check anyway. Check back here to see what I’m thinking about the new beta!

More detailed reviews to come…

Outsparks’ Fiesta
This game is currently in closed beta, so I assume that’s why there’s no much character customization. Fun game, aimed at casual players. In the 1st few levels there are big signs telling you which zones to go to based on your level. Super cute & Fun! I did have a hard time trying to find stuff to kill for my level until I saw the big signs outside the teleport gates. I would give this game a try for anyone looking for a good *free* mmo.
http://www.onrpg.com/games/overview/721
http://www.outspark.com

The Endless Forest
This isn’t really a “game” as there’s no goal. There’s no levels, no nothing. You are a deer in a forest. You run, frolic, ect. You can run & frolic with other players, but you cannot speak because you are a deer. You have to use the emotes provided. The only goal-oriented activity is going to the ruins to convert the lost souls. However, the designers of the game don’t recommend doing this because for each soul you convert, a new gravestone pops up and clutters the ruins. And even if you do, you don’t get anything for it other than a warm inner glow (for you, not your deer. Over time, the patron god will come down & give you cool antlers and other things, and you’ll grow from a fawn to a big buck. Cool looking, but relatively boring.
Oh, and it runs in your screensaver O.o
http://www.tale-of-tales.com/TheEndlessForest

Ares Online
Set in ancient Greece, Ares, the god of war, hatched a scheme to increase his power by spreading his influence to foreign lands. You and the others players are out to stop him. This is the game I found most helpful to new players. There’s loads of tips, and when you reach a new level, a tip pops up to tell you where you should go to hunt things for your new level. Decent character customization, and quick battles. I like it
http://ares.netgame.com/

Scions of Fate
Labeled as a “comic” rpg, this game is cute, and fun! The thing I liked best about this game is that when you reached a new level, you got a carrier pidgon from an NPC in the nearby town, offering you a quest. Fun!
Oh! This game has a built-in music player that lets you play mp3’s from your own computer!
http://fate.netgame.com/

Eudemons Online

Knight Onlin

Eudemons Online

Conquer Online

Monster and Me

Rappelz- Great Looking Free Rpg

Fly for Fun

Corum

Last Chaos

Fiesta

Trickster Online

edit: Changed Outspark to Fiesta. Outspark is the company that produced Fiesta.

T ales of Pirates

Myth War

Zu Online- Coming Aug ‘07!

I’m an avid fan of rpg’s… I’ve been playing final fantasy and other console games of the genre fr years. I started playing World of Warcraft since beta, but I sick of paying for it. Little did i know about the multitudes of free MMORPGs online. Free Foever. Granted they don’t graphically look as good as WoW, but free is good. So as I come across any that look good, I’ll sick ‘em here.

Oh- no browser based games like adventure quest