December can be a tricky month for gamers. With so many good games coming out in the preceding months, and with so few funds spare on account of having to buy friends and family presents in time for Christmas, it can mean missing out on some of those games that you've had an eye on all year.
But it doesn't have to be all doom and gloom; just because you don't have any cash floating around, it doesn't mean that you can't get your hands on some great new games. There's a growing free-to-play movement on PC, with increasing numbers of high profile studios experimenting with new financial models in order to attract new blood to their titles.
If you're looking for a shooter with triple-A credentials, you need look no further than Planetside 2. It's up there with any other FPS you can mention, and although there are a few issues to do with pacing and accessibility, they still can't tarnish the burgeoning reputation of SOE's recently released online shooter.
The premise is simplistic to say the least. Three futuristic armies are pitted against each other on three massive persistent continents/maps. The narrative is completely player-driven; the game's designers have left it up to players to decide on how to organise themselves. SOE has created three giant sandboxes, and now unprecedented amounts of gamers can converge on the same server and blast seven shades of shite out of each other.
I've been playing quite a bit lately, and will be dragging my friends onto the Planetside 2 servers over the next few weeks. The reason it's not going to be a hard sell is because of the game's simple premise, and the fact that it's free-to-play. There's no danger in trying it out, because if one of my friends decides it's not their bag, they've not invested a penny and have lost nothing. You can spend money if you like (and I have, I bought a bolt-action sniper rifle), but SOE has found a great balance between making purchasing new equipment an enticing proposition, but not something you feel is a necessity in order to compete.
Another popular shooter that's easy to recommend is Team Fortress 2. For those who've not encountered it before, it's a comical take on the usually very serious FPS genre. It's made by Valve, so you already know it's going to be good before you even download the client. If you're not careful, this one can be a real time sink. The main bulk of the game is completely free to download and play, but outfits and unique equipment for the characters can be purchased via micro-transactions. It's frantic, fun and completely silly, and if you're wallet can't (or won't) stretch to Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 or Borderlands 2 this winter, Team Fortress 2 is a genuine alternative that's worth a look.
There's plenty of other decent shooters that are worth a mention in the same breath. There's moments of brilliance just waiting to be experienced in Ghost Recon Online. The free-to-play element isn't the best implemented system out there (you've got to pay for grenades, for example), but the combination of team-orientated action and futuristic gadgets can create pulsating battles. Another gritty shooter making its way over to western PCs is Crytek's Warface. Currently doing fantastic business in Russia, the CryEngine 3 powered shooter is set challenge the establishment over here, and sooner rather than later. We should also mention World of Tanks too, which is great fun, even if it won't appeal to everyone. Don't be deceived by outward appearances, WoT isn't just a tank game, it's a deeply tactical team shooter with huge amount of customisation options and a massive range of vehicles to choose from.
More and more MMORPGs are implementing free-to-play systems as a means of attracting new gamers to their servers. The most high profile title to do the F2P switcharoo in recent months is undoubtedly Bioware and EA's Star Wars: The Old Republic. We'll be taking a much closer look at how life is progressing in The Old Republic in the coming weeks, so I'll not go into too much detail here, but needless to say the switch to the new financial model wasn't something that EA were keen to do. Many people doubted the wisdom of introducing a subscription-only MMO to compete with World of Warcraft (which is what TOR was intended to do), pointing to the growing popularity of free-to-play games as reason enough to avoid the old way of charging gamers to play. EA gave it a good go, but ultimately the naysayers were proved right, and The Old Republic struggled to attract and retain the kind of user-base needed to make the traditional subscription model work.
One game that has managed the transition to free-to-play with aplomb is Lord of The Rings Online. Most stuff is available right from the start, it's only later on, when you've sunk several hours into the game, that the restrictions start impacting on the experience. It's a novel system designed to reel gamers in once they've emotionally committed to the game, and if you've stuck 10+ hours into an adventure, had a brilliant time, you can't really begrudge the devs for asking you to put your hand in your pocket at some point so you can carry on having fun.
Another genre that regularly gives us free-to-play offerings is the MOBA. The most obvious place to start is League of Legends, which has quietly been growing into one of the biggest games on the planet. It's the logical place to start, but Valve's Dota 2 is also going to be free-to-play, and will likely disrupt the balance of power when it's officially launched. Add to the list of options games like Heroes of Newerth and Super Monday Night Combat, and there's a wealth of options for the more tactically minded gamer.
For those who prefer a similar view point, but more units to control, the news that Command & Conquer is going to be released next year as a free-to-play title will certainly be welcome news. The Settlers Online joins Age of Empires Online in representing old PC favourite strategy franchises in the free market, allowing even nostalgic itches to be scratched without paying a penny.
There's options wherever way you look, and with more and more games adopting these fresh financial models as they look to attract new audiences, there's only going to be more choice in the future. As long as studios and publishers remember not to penalise non-paying gamers, I'm all for it, but there needs to be a balance. Free-to-play is a means to get us through the door, but if we like what we see once we've tried our hand at a game, it is important to support the developers as much as possible and stump up some cash every now and then. We've all got to eat, after all.