Hello to all our new readers, and welcome back to those who have been following ZAM's bi-weekly column, The Free Agent. Our mission, as always, is to answer the question "Can gaming REALLY be free?"

Well of course it can. But, as we learned in the last episode of the Free Agent, sometimes free comes at a cost. And in the case of Star Conflict  that cost was both time and content. Be sure to check out Episode 4 if you want to know more.

So as we set aside our pilot’s jump suit for a pair of tights and a mask, will the Free Agent discover the same problem with Gazillion Entertainment's, brand new Marvel Heroes? Or does this super-charged Action RPG MMO deliver as a true free-to-play title?

Hello to all our new readers, and welcome back to those who have been following ZAM's bi-weekly column, the Free Agent. Unlike most free-to-play columns out there, the Free Agent is here not just to review free games, but more importantly, to answer the question "Can gaming REALLY be free?"

Of course the obvious answer is yes. Every developer it seems wants to hop on the free-to-play train these days, so there is no end of titles out there that you can play for free. But the usual outcome is a short lived flurry of binge gaming, followed by either a week of inactivity leading to a quick uninstall, or the spending of "just a meager few dollars" to enhance your gaming experience... every day for a year.

But not the Free Agent I say! We stand for justice and equality, for freedom and something-or-other. Okay maybe we're just cheapskates, but hey we're going to play some games, and give you the real deal on whether or not you can actually enjoy yourself without spending any real money.

Last time we tried out a nifty little 3rd person co-op shooter called Warframe. If you want to read about the Free Agent's thoughts on being a free-to-play space ninja, be sure to check out Episode 3. But this week we're pulling out something for all those under-loved space pilot junkies out there. That's right, Episode 4 of the Free Agent is pleased to bring you Star Conflict, a free-to-play Space Action MMO from StarGem Inc, that puts you in the pilot seat of your very own space ship.

Are we seeing double? We're not sure about that, but what we are sure of is this is a (re)introduction to EverQuest's two Community Managers: Dexella and Amnerys.

Norrath is a massive world, spanning time, space, and a Community Team! As the EverQuest franchise continues to develop in new and exciting directions, you will have a chance to get to know two Community Managers across all of Norrath in EverQuest, EverQuest II, Legends of Norrath, and whatever comes “Next.” We may be familiar to some of you, or this may be the first time you’re meeting us, so we’re going to take a minute to (re)introduce ourselves.

Comic book fans rejoice, as Marvel Heroes, the new Diablo-esque MMO from Gazillion Entertainment is on the horizon.  I was given the privilege of sitting down with game creator David Brevik, most well known as the man behind the games Diablo and Diablo 2.  In our discussion, Brevik outlined many of the finer details about the game, and gave us clear insight into what the overall experience will include, as well as how the experience as a player can unfold on a person to person basis. 

Starting with the basics, we were told that the game will have a standard style progressive story mode that, depending on how grindy your play style is, will leave you in the high 20s to low 30s of the level progression.  We were also informed that the game is officially announcing a level cap of 60, at release.  Theoretically, the level cap would increase with expansions or added content, but we didn’t get that far in our discussion, so that’s pure speculation.  However, Brevik made it very clear that the game will be updated and maintained with the vigor of any good MMO.

Hello again and welcome to Episode 3 of ZAM's bi-weekly column, the Free Agent. If you missed the previous Episode, be sure to check out the Free Agent's thoughts on just how free-to-play the 3rd person MOBA and battleground of the gods, Smite, really is.

While it may also be played in a 3rd person perspective this episode’s featured game is about as far from hurling lightning bolts and releasing the Kraken as you a can get. We've traded in all those crazy gods for an array of high-tech combat suits worn by a race of ninja-like warriors called the Tenno, in the cooperative free-to-play shooter, Warframe.

Now, after two weeks of intense undercover action as a space ninja, I'm here to let you know if you too can be a space ninja for the cost of nothing but a Steam account.

My earliest foray into the MMOspace brought with it my first taste of PvP in the genre when I started playing EverQuest on launch day back in March of 1999. I was a big fan of being challenged by other players in games like Warcraft and Starsiege: Tribes and figured that an extra element of danger in my new adventure would only enrich the experience; however my primary intent was to play with other players, not against them. Still, I found that the constant threat—and reality—of PvP created some of the most indelible memories of my MMO history.

Welcome back to the Free Agent, ZAM's bi-weekly column that investigates the question, "can gaming really be free?" If you missed Episode 1 it's not too late to catch up on the Free Agent's first impressions of TERA Rising, a free-to-play action/RPG MMO. But as we move on to Episode 2 we're shifting gears over to the free-to-play MOBA market, making our way onto the battleground of the gods with SMITE.

Hi-Rez Studios may have made its way in the world as an FPS developer with the Tribes franchise, but that didn't exclude it from throwing its hat into the every expanding roster of MOBA games we're seeing on the market. For those that aren't entirely clear what a MOBA is, it stands for Multiplayer Online Battle Arena, a fast paced PvP experience best known for games like League of Legends and DOTA2.

But unlike the hordes of MOBA clones slated for release or currently in beta testing, SMITE offers a different perspective on the MOBA genre, quite literally in fact.

Welcome to Episode 1 of The Free Agent. If you’re just joining me and wondering what this new bi-weekly ZAM column is all about, I'd encourage you to have a read through Episode Zero. My mission, as always, is to answer the question, "Can gaming really be free?"

With that, let’s jump right into the first free-to-play title to be featured on The Free Agent, TERA Rising. Developed by Blue Hole Studios and published by En Masse Entertainment, this action/RPG hybrid MMO did away with subscription fees and went free-to-play after only 9 months on the North American market.

Like many other people I was curious about what TERA had to offer and watched it from the side lines throughout its development cycle. But, as the release date came and went, amid so many others, I found that I simply didn't have room in my life for another subscription based MMO. Sadly TERA slipped through the cracks of my gaming repertoire.

However, with the free-to-play rebranding as TERA Rising, my interest was re-ignited and I set out to explore an MMO that I had previously passed over. Was their switch to free-to-play a shallow marketing ploy to get gamers like me interested in the title again? Or does this MMO possess a depth that proves all the free-to-play critics wrong?

To find out read on, as The Free Agent takes on TERA Rising.

Being a tank in the World of Warcraft, Blizzard's recent news that patch 5.3 will add an option where players can "choose to receive loot for a specialization that's different from their current class role" when running LFR or while questing, is some of the best news I’ve heard in a long time.

When I first started playing WoW – back at the start of The Burning Crusade – I had endless amounts of time to devote to my characters, from raiding to farming rep and running dungeons with my guild. Nowadays I have a full-time job, a fiancé and a YouTube channel to maintain. With what little time I have left, I manage to raid two nights per week with my guild, grind a few dailies here and there and run LFR (if I'm lucky!).

It seems that these days everyone wants to jump on the Free-to-Play band wagon, which for all of us gamers should be a good thing. After all, who doesn't like free stuff, right?

So as we head toward this paradise like future where all games are Free-to-Play one can't help but wonder, how is anyone making any money? Could game developers be taking the first steps toward the utopian future predicted by Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek franchise, where people and corporations (greedy Ferengi aside) have shed the need for personal or monetary gain and, instead, simply work for the betterment of society as a whole?