Kingdom of Loathing

www.kingdomofloathing.com

Tired of waiting for the next classic RPG and endlessly replaying Planescape: Torment/Baldur's Gate/Icewind Dale/Morrowind/Diablo II/Fallout/Final Fantasy/Heroes III/Shining Force/New Horizons/Dragon Court/ADOM/Pikachu Volleyball/LIERO/Minesweeper (entering desperate territory...)?

Want to play a good MMORPG but baulk at the subscription for World of Warcraft, the one-time fee for Guild Wars, the staleness of Diablo, the unavailability of Four Oceans (release date pushed back from 2002 to 2006 and counting, must be some record) and the doesn't-qualifinity of DotA?

Well, fret not.

There's a new free contender in town, called the Kingdom of Loathing. Quoted from its website, "KoL is played from the comfort of your browser, and is adorned with a staggering array of stunning hand-drawn images."

"Choose from one of six intoxicating character classes, such as the Seal Clubbers, who hail from the frigid Northlands, because one character class always hails from the frigid Northlands, or the Accordion Thieves, whose Moxie serves them well in both their adventures and their interactions with 'the ladies.'"

"The Kingdom is broad and deep. Visit such picturesque zones as: The Barrel full of Barrels, the Misspelled Cemetary, the Orcish Frat House and the Bugbear Bakery."

"The Kingdom contains scores of terrifying monsters. Among them are: The ferocious Sabre-Toothed Lime! The menacing Booze Giant! And hordes of fierce Ninja Snowmen!"

"Hundreds of usable and equippable items fill the dungeons and wildernesses of the Kingdom, including: Meatloaf Helmet, Filthy Corduroys, Gnollish Autoplunger and eXtreme Mittens."

Some of you may have enjoyed the punniness of Xanth back in TCHS. If so, you'll surely appreciate this. But really, how can you dislike a game where you get to avoid bums bumrushing you, warily pickpocket dead adventurers and where the currency is meat? Where you may save the world from the Naughty Sorceress, perhaps through the arcane arts of Pastamancery, or by headbutting her with a turtle shell on your head?

At once a sarcastic parody of RPGs in general, and also quality mindless entertainment with a deep vocabulary, it should bring constant chuckles as new in-jokes are discovered. C'mon, create a character at http://www.kingdomofloathing.com/createplayer.php after you've finished mugging for the day. It's free after all...