For many of us gamers, MMORPGs can seem like a huge commitment. They can be time consuming and expensive, and other than World of Warcraft, none of them really seem to retain players for a long period of time.

That’s why many MMOs are choosing to move to a different model of pricing. League of Legends has proved that free to play MMOs with in-game transactions- extra weapons or characters or outfits that players can purchase with real world cash- not only maintain players, but maintain profits.

Firefall is another one of those free-to-play MMOs, and I got a chance to check it out on the show floor at PAX East. During my time playing Firefall, I got a chance to create a character and complete a few quests. I chose a female Assault character.

You won’t have to play cooperatively in Firefall, as I was doing quests on my own, and you won’t have to participate in PvP either. I found the questing system really unique- I was sent on a quest to investigate a water shortage, which turned into me killing the monsters in the area who were causing the problem. A lot of other MMOs would have just sent me after the monsters in the first place, but Firefall gave me a chance to investigate and figure things out on my own. It was a nice touch that I can foresee making the level grinding in the beginning of the game a little less repetitive and more enjoyable.

I have to admit, my favorite part of the gameplay and controls of Firefall was my jetpack, which the entire environment seemed to be built around. The environments of Firefall are really open and well designed. I loved the cell shaded graphics in the game- it made it feel even more removed and unique from other MMOs out there.

If you played the game at PAX East you’ll be able to access the closed beta of Firefall, and the full game will be released later this year.

DC Universe Online has got to be the most epic game in the world. Because of the hype surrounding it, and the constant delays, this game had better be the best thing we’ve seen since World of Warcraft, only better. We’re now getting a few tidbits as the beta is currently in progress that could prove just that.

One of the major elements to any successful MMORPG game is the upgrades for your custom character. It’s what drives millions of people to the WoW servers every day, and it could be what makes or breaks DCUO. We’re now getting a look at purchasable battlesuits that can be obtained by doing missions for specific characters.

The most specific examples the fine folks at Sony Online Entertainment have given us is the battlesuits obtained from missions with Wonder Woman and Black Adam. Check out the full trailer for the suits after the jump, and keep it here as we bring you the most up-to-date news from DC Universe Online as we await it’s early 2011 release date.

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Rumors were swirling this week about a major electronics manufacturer planning to reveal a new console, and while it’s a bit of a surprise, it ended up being Panasonic who let the cat out of the bag. According to Kotaku, Panasonic has announced The Jungle, the first portable gaming console designed exclusively for online gaming and MMORPGs.

The Jungle can best be described as a teeny tiny PC, with a full QWERTY keyboard and touchpad, as well as the d-pad and shoulder buttons standard to most portable consoles. The device is created specifically for online gaming, especially for those who don’t want to be tied down by all the weight and wires of a desktop PC but don’t want to sacrifice performance for portability.

While details are slim about the device so far, its rumored to be running on a Linux OS. The screen, while probably small, supposedly has an amazing resolution. We can safely assume The Jungle will have some sort of built-in WiFi, maybe even 3G capabilities, as well as some amazing battery life and a killer processor.

It’s hard to imagine this device being affordable, but the idea of being able to bring World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy Online around with you as easily as you carry a DS or PSP is definitely tempting.

We’ll keep our eye on this new, unique little device as more details emerge.

In the world of MMORPGs, the players who excel are the ones that have the most time to devote to the game. It makes sense that the longer you have to dedicate to grinding out levels, stocking up on gear and materials, and running dungeons, the more of an advantage you’d have.

While other MMOs give minor rewards to players for resting between gameplay, like World of Warcraft‘s “rest bonuses”, they don’t have any kind of system comparable to what Final Fantasy XIV has planned.

In Final Fantasy XIV, players will be allowed eight hours per class at full experience points. After the eight hours are up, the amount of experience gained will decrease over the next seven hours. Once these seven hours are up, you will receive no experience points for the rest of the week. Players have the option to change classes at any time in FFXIV, so they’d have eight hours of gameplay per week, per class.

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