

And once your base is powerful enough, you'll have the resources to build what you need without having to shell out more cash. Spending $40 or so on platinum when you start will help you enjoy the game faster, but it's not strictly necessary. So what about "Edgeworld" is so addictive? More than its peers, it gives you a good experience whether you pay for it or not.

Your troops become more powerful and better skilled at defeating enemy bases. Over time your base becomes stronger and better able to ward off the multiple attacks it will face each day. You can choose to battle the artificial intelligence or against other players the experience you gain brings you various rewards. Once you've built a barracks and a staging area, you can train a wide variety of troops to send into battle. To do so you'll need resources: crystal, gas, energy and uranium - which you can mine on your base - or platinum, which you can buy for real money. Your mission is to build a base, defend it and conquer your foes.

It also faces regular attacks from other players, who can raid your base for resources. "Edgeworld" takes place in a faraway galaxy, where your colony is under siege by a trio of hostile alien races. But then I tried out Kabam's "Edgeworld," and I haven't played much else since. I never thought I'd spend any real time in a free-to-play game. It's amazing, then, that the "CityVilles" of the world are ascendant, and the future of console games is cloudy. At their best, they offer immersive experiences unmatched by anything else.
