Server is down so I thought I’ll do a little review…
First Impressions
Been playing the game since before launch and I have to say this is one of the best MMORPG launches so far. The gameplay, graphics and even sound have been very smooth and even with 30fps, you feel as though you are playing at twice that frame rate. Its that smooth and you don’t really need a state of the art system to play this. I can safely say if your machine is 2 years old, you should still do fine, assuming two years ago your system is top notch.
“How you doin?”
Gameplay
The first twenty levels, on hindsight, its kinda like a tutorial. They let you learn how to play the game, immerse you in the gameworld, and then tell you to go forth and seek your destiny.
One great aspect of the game is the voice acting; almost every NPC you meet that gives you a quest will speak to you quite audibly. This is the one feature that really makes you feel immersed into the game, as the voice acting is very good. Heck, they even have a bit of acting on the NPCs itself. Unfortunately, the voice acting is confined to destiny quests after you leave Tortage, which made me felt a bit cheated. But better some voice acting than none at all.
“How you doin?”
Combat wise, there’s a bit of strategy involved. And the best part of doing combat well is seeing your moves do Mortal Kombat like fatalities. Some which I’ve seen so far are decapitations, hewing a body in two and sticking a weapon in a body before yanking it out again. This is the fun part of the combat, its so fun it almost takes the pain of dying away. Check out the screenshot below. The blood even splatters onto your screen.
Headless in Hyboria
Hack! Slash!! Kill!!!
After the first twenty levels and you leave Tortage, one gets the feel that this is where the MMO starts proper. And depending on your race, your starting town will either be in Aquilonia, Cimmeria or Stygia. Levelling becomes more or less the same grind as compared with other mmorpgs, and you really really miss the immersing factor of voice acting.
But having said that, the fatalities help to take the grind away, as well as the beautifully crafted scenery of the game world. At this point of time, you can either continue to do quests or start your crafting career.
I decide to leave crafting till later. Why? Cuz I’m a damn barbarian and there are heads needing to be bashed, goddamit, just like the ones below.
Right now, my only gripe is the UI, which really needs more polishing. But its not unbearable, and I’m sure they’ll improve it soon enough.
If you are playing, look me up and we’ll bash a few heads together, by Crom! I’m on the Thog server, character name’s Ruok. 😉
Next up, details on the really big guild I’m in and the collector’s edition.
blood splattering! how cool is that.
Too cool, niece, too cool.