The browser version for Frogster’s Runes of Magic is now live in open beta and will be until Jan 9th 2012 if you want to give it a try. Not a lot of information has been released as to what if any limitations the browser version has when compared to the full game client, so I’ll take that as there are none or very little.

If you want to give the browser version a try, just head to the new ROM broswer website and signup, you can even just your Facebook login.

I have to say it’s pretty amazing that they can get a MMORPG like Runes of Magic to run in a web browser, how well it will run, well I guess that’s what this beta is for.

It seems Runes of Magic has been available at Walmart for some time, but only today did I realize it when I received a newsletter which stated you could now buy the game on Walmart’s website as well. Wait a minute…buy? Isn’t Runes of Magic free-to-play?

Seems like Frogster has a pretty creative marketing department as they are selling a free game to customers at Walmart for a few exclusive in-game items. The retail boxed version of Runes of Magic costs $14.96 and includes the following:

• A Storm Hippogriff Mount
• A little Goat of War pet
• bonus Diamonds
• Costumes
• Furniture
• A Villa

I don’t know what these items cost if you were to purchase them from the RoM in-game store, so perhaps $15 is a great deal, it just seems a little sneaky to sell a game that’s free. The obvious goal here is to get unsuspecting shoppers to buy the game not realizing it’s available for free online. Pretty sneaky, but cleaver.  What do you guy think? Does this type of marketing cross any lines?

Chapter IV, the latest content update for Runes of Magic is now live on servers.  Chapter IV – Lands of Despair introduces four new regions, new monsters and dungeons to explore.

To celebrate the release of Chap IV an new trailer was released today revealing the impending doom coming to Taborea.  Sismond, a new creature from the darkness, has plunged the villages of Taborea into chaos and enslaved the people through manipulation and dark magic.

What’s New in Chapter IV:
• Free choice of third class
• 4 expansive new regions
• Level cap raised to 67
• Over 300 challenging new quests
• Additional storage capacity for mounts and pets
• 2 demanding new instances
• Server-wide battlefields
• New Runes
• New Public Encounter

For more information on Runes of Magic and the new chapter, visit www.runesofmagic.com

The closed beta for Chapter IV – Lands of Despair closes in only one day, but so far no group has yet defeated Annelia the Puppet Master and her father, Lord Grafu, the two final bosses of the instance. Runes of Magic: Chapter IV reveals two previously unknown races: the Dwarves and the Rhinos. As the chapter unfolds, players will find themselves wrapped up in a story that explains the origin of the fierce rivalry between the two races. The images released today give a taste of what’s in store for players and raise new questions at the same time.

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First Looks: Runes of Magic is a fun, free game that combines certain aspects from other games into a fast paced and inviting MMORPG. The moment I made a new character, I got sucked into a whole new world, with great looking fighting, spell casting, and killing animations. I couldn’t stop playing. The leveling is never boring because of so much variety. Even though it has the usual gathering, talking, and killing quests, I can easily skip out on a tedious one and still level up at a good pace. The double class system is really appealing because it adds variety; usually I would have to create a new character to mix up the game play among MMOs, but in RoM, switching to and from diverse play styles can be done on the fly. The best part of it all is that everyone is helpful, especially when it’s easy to communicate with zone chat.

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Leading the pack into next-gen gaming, Frogster has announced its intentions to bring Runes of Magic to browsers around the world. By integrating the popular free-to-play title with the convenience of Facebook, Frogster hopes to bring RoM to a wider audience, eliminating the hassle of downloading and installing altogether. After finishing the final stages of testing and implementation, Frogster will demo the new platform at GDC in San Francisco from February 28th to March 4th.

With this move, Runes of Magic will step forward as one of the few AAA quality browser-based MMOs on the market. Accessibility has never been this easy, and Andreas Weidenhaupt, Chief Licensing Officer of Frogster Interactive Pictures AG shares his expectations:

“We are expecting to see a marked increase in the numbers of players for Runes of Magic through this cooperation with Kalydo. Powered by the impressive Kalydo technology the browser version will enable us to attract new target groups who previously have found the download, installation and registration process too complicated”

Frogster recently announced the launch of the new zone, Limo Desert, for Runes of Magic. Into that desert, there will be a new dungeon, called Kawak’s Tomb, promising an ancient treasure, surrounded by many challenges to beat. Feel like Indiana Jones? Go for it.

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Frogster has recently announced the forthcoming content update for Runes of Magic, Patch 3.0.6, will bring a new zone included, called Limo Desert.

This new zone is a huge desert, inhabited by the Canine People, a dog-like biped tribe, divided into two clans. Those clans, Iron Teeth and Rotteneyes, were once allies against a common oppressor, but a present-day conflict has driven them close to a full war.

Limo Desert will offer the chance to explore nine sub-regions, a new instance and seven oasis settlements, where adventurers can get supplies and have a rest in the middle of such a hard environment. One of the interesting places is the Kingdom of Limon, where the mortal remains of war heroes rest for eternity.

Wild tribes, ancient ruins, pyramids, burial chambers and the ever present sand, will await all Runes of Magic adventurers, once the upcoming Patch 3.0.6 launches.

This time we’ll talk about MMOCrunch’s number one game, Runes of Magic. Your interest in this game makes it the leader in our ranks. Frogster must be doing a good job so… Grats!
Patch 3.0.4 The Mystery of the Temple goes live, bringing new content. Check out the new features for Runes of Magic.

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In the midst of preparing for their appearance at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany, Frogster Interactive has announced a new major shareholder in their company, Gameforge AG, who now holds 60% of the controlling share. In addition, Gameforge AG announced a takeover bid of 25 Euro per share. The company behind two highly-anticipated MMOs, Mythos and Tera Online, will be sustained as an independent company and keep all teams in all locations intact. Despite the bid, Frogster Interactive will be at GamesCom in full force to display their upcoming MMOs for the first time. With the release of their upcoming MMOs and its ‘Project X’ from Runes of Magic, Frogster still expects a strong and profitable expansion for 2011.