Digimon Masters Online: FREE - PC Game

For years I've been waiting for a good Digimon game with characters that actually looked like the ones on the show. Now technology finally has caught up and brings us Digimon Masters Online. Cell shaded graphics with correct order of digivolutions let you become a digimon tamer. You don't get to fuse or become digimon, but you do get to have/use/own/tame more than one DIGItal MONster. The online MMORPG PC game has been available to Koreans for a few years. It finally became available in English last year (of 2011). Activate Wargreymon's Terraforce or Metalgarurumon's Ice Wolf Claw and see the two's mega level digimon do their thing. Most of your favorite digimon from various seasons have made a return. No random battles occur. Brought to you by JoyMax, Bandai, Toei Animation, and Digitalic FOR FREE. Before creating a character or having a friend create one, make sure you choose the same SERVER or you won't be able to play together. Being on the same Channel is also required to play together, but that can be changed during gameplay.

 <----Falcomon is missing from that lineup 

Here's a list of some of the available Rookie Level digimon (this info isn't even on the official site)   

(Source http://digimon.wikia.com/wiki/Digimon_Masters#Mercenary_Digimon)

• Agumon
• Armadillomon
• Bearmon
• Betamon
• Biyomon
• Candlemon
• Commandramon
• DemiDevimon (Bakemon type)                              
• DemiDevimon (Soulmon type)
• DemiMeramon
• Deputymon
• Dobermon
• Dokunemon
• Dogmon
• Dorumon (Dorugamon type)
• Dorumon (DexDorugamon type)
• Dracomon
• Drimogemon
• Elecmon
• Fanbeemon
• Gabumon
• Gomamon
• Goburimon
• Gotsumon
• Guilmon
• Hagurumon (Mekanorimon type)
• Hagurumon (Guardromon type)
• Hawkmon
• Impmon
• Keramon
• Kiwimon
• Kotemon (Musyamon type)
• Kotemon (Gladimon type)
• Kunemon
• Lopmon
• Monodramon
• Palmon (Togemon type)
• Palmon (Woodmon type)
• Patamon
• Renamon
• Salamon (Gatomon type)
• Salamon (BlackGatomon type)
• Starmon
• Shamanmon
• Tentomon
• Terriermon
• Veemon (ExVeemon type)
• Veemon (Veedramon type)
• Wormmon
• Ryudamon

The list is still growing as new digimon are being added. My suggestion is that if you Facebook a lot, add Digimon Masters Online on Facebook to get updates on when they do add new mercenary digimon.

System Requirements

Minimum Specification
Required Specification
CPU
Pentium 4 or higher
Pentium 4 or higher
RAM
256MB
512MB
VGA
GeForce FX 5200 or higher
GeForce 6200 or higher
HDD
2GB
4GB
OS
Windows XP
Windows XP
DirectX
DirectX 9.0
DirectX 9.0

I suggest you visit this blog for more in descriptive details that you will need to get far in the game. There is a series of blog posts at  http://blackrabbit2999.blogspot.com that does a great job explaining many aspects of Digimon Masters Online. It has lots of guides that I found helpful while searching and trying to learn to play the game. It even has a grid like list with head icons and names for quick and easy view of available digimon and their evolutions posted by Relvamon.

http://blackrabbit2999.blogspot.com/2011/09/digimon-masters-online-digivolution.html

Galantmon, Garudamon, and Infermon(from the movie) . To take screenshots, press the button "Print Scrn/SysRq" (it's located to the right of the F12 on top of the keyboard. For Windows 7, the pictures should be saved in "User Name"--->DMO--->ScreenShot. Screenshots taken this way have a little lowered quality than how the gameplay looks.

Overview

Choose from 1 of the four characters and four starter digimons . I know, that's not very many, but you will be able to hatch other digimon(including many protagonist digimon) by hatching their eggs. YOU MAY HAVE A TOTAL OF THREE DIGINON AT ONE TIME. Although ONLY ONE may be out with you at a time. Obtain digieggs by defeating that species and hopping for a rare drop, or buy digieggs from other human players. So far I believe you my only obtain dropped digieggs by fighting digimon at about your digimons level, not much higher or lower. Hatching eggs are not easy however, because they require certain amounts of data of the same type(not necessarily the same species). Also, nonstarter digimon, aka MERCENARY DIGIMON, require rare items in addition to the levels to unlock further evolutions. HATCHING requires a process that takes a certain amount of data to the egg at a machine.When adding data, you risk breaking the egg. There are 5 stages(unofficial) of data. Each time you successfully add data, you go to the next stage. Eggs can only be hatched after reaching Stage 3 or higher(press hatch). The higher stage you hatch at, the larger your digimon will be. At stage 3 you can be very small. However, each higher stage is riskier.
You can use real world money to buy digieggs that will certainly hatch. Using real world money can also be used to get currency and increase storage space and increased inventory slots. Those last two can be very helpful because having a few different rare items, digieggs, and types if data takes up a lot. You'll have to manage it quite well and sell ur items to make room.

Mercenary Eggs glow bright orange and yellow when dropped. DO NOT SCAN these like the other nonhatchable digieggs. These digieggs will have better items when scanned, but are probably worth more when traded or sold to human players. Also, only press trade on the trade menu once the other player has put the desired item up for trade. Otherwise, you accept the current items in the trade(nothing) in exchange for whatever item or gold you have put up for trade.

 In Digimon Masters Online, the Mana/MP is called DigiSoul (DS).Your characters DS is used to digivolve your digimon. Your digimon's DS is used to do special attacks. Each digimon starts with one special attack and will learn another at a later level. As far as I've seen, only the second special attack of each digimon really does damage, although sometimes the 1st Special attack has range and enables you to get the first attack. The first human player to attack a wild digimon will be the only one to get experience and be able to pick up dropped items from that digimon. By being on a team however, you get some experience if your team makes a kill. Team kills also count towards any quests that requires the defeat of those monsters.

Angemon. It's a big step from the playstation one's, Digimon World days.

The games environment isn't very detailed, but not bad by any means. I think this keeps the game a smaller size and gives it faster loading times in between maps. Granted, the games Digital World doesn't look spotty like the one in the anime. Actually, I don't really know what world I'm in and traveling to and from. That's one issue I have with the game, the lack of story. Of course most MMORPG's don't really have stories. The background music isn't horrible. And the games sounds so sound like they are from the animes time. The game gives you QUESTS to keep you busy. Each quest has a slight explanation and you accept and go do it. Experience and currency is given for completing quests and confirming it with the NPC (nonplayable character) that gave you that mission. To my understanding, the game also gives  you items for staying in the game. A timer is on the bottom right corner. When that timer runs out, you get an email and an item from the game. This is one of the best ways to get some rare items. Some items give you increased stats for a certain time. For example, quicker running for 3 days. Once in a while, a zoomed in digimon warning appears on just about the whole right half your screen. This can be annoying, but it also gives you a chance to look at and appreciate the detail of the digimon up close. These are boss digimon. They come out only on certain areas of the map, are more likely to drop rarer items and are of course stronger than the rest of the regular digimon on the map. Card Digimon are an exceptionk. They are summoned by players using Digimon Cards, each with a different level. They drop rare items just like boss digimon, but are even stronger. While engaged in combat with a Card Digimon, a timer and health will be in the top center of the screen. When that timer runs out, the card digimon vanish. 

An example of a quest. Shinegreymon isn't in Burst Mode but he can be. Location: Train Terminal

Miscellaneous

        Last time I checked, the official website didn't have a detailed starting guide. Now it does have one. I'm not sure if I missed it because the buttons don't stand out very well, or they just updated the website. With so many users, it isn't difficult to find information online, but I still expected better from an Official Digimon website (before the update). On the official site, "Starting Guide" is a good place to start learning about the game, if you go to "Interface". The rest of the Study Guide just gives a very vague introduction on Digimon and 3 of the starters.

Digimon stats are quite balanced with the levels. For example, your digimon would have a much harder time fighting a digimon with 5 level above yours compared to fighting one of the same level as your digimon.

Season one's Agumon and his Wargreymon evolutions are not a starter. They are a Mercenary digimon. YOU CANNOT DELETE YOUR STARTER DIGIMON. So if you start with an NeoGreymon's Agumon, and then get season 1's Agumon, you'll have two Agumons.

The games icon says GDMO, the G is for Global for the English Version.

If you see strong leveled Digimon with weapons that aren't part of their regular arsenal, it could be that the weapon was bought and equipped. Digimon are still being added regularly in updates. Terriermon was added recently.

Suggestions

 More related storyline or cameos from the shows(there are already some). I only watched the first 4 seasons. It'll give more of a sense like you're in the world of digimon or at least in an adventure or have a purpose. Maybe a few voices for attacks and/or digivolving would be awesome, with the option of how often the voices come up. For example "Pepper Breath" or "Agumon digivolve to GREYMON (ROAR)". If they have the rights to the audio from the show, then there should be plenty of snippets available, at least for the Digidestines Digimon Partners. Don't get Digimon (Digital Monsters) confused with Pokemon (Pocket Monsters). The battle system here isn't as developed or strategic or in depth as Pokemon, but Pokemon has done a very great job and this battle system is still good. A list of available digimon and their evolutions would be very helpful. It isn't difficult to find online, but would make the game and website feel more complete.

Hopefully at least one former digimon fan reads this post and learns about the game.

Gametrender