Reviews (27)

everquest evolutions
This is beth, overrall it's probably a four star game it's not boring but it takes so long to get to level 65 heck my highest char is only level 40, she's a human monk but she's the best player i have, although i like emmaria my dark elf too. Anyway they have great gear but it took up some of my allowance, it's hard to earn lots of money unless u buy it.
The thing that is great about this game is that you can play with your friends, group, and be all sorts of races, if you don't have 50 k and good gear you're done for in the higher levels. The graphics are pretty good and going shopping in the bazaar rocks, I love my horse! Doing magic isn't my favorite thign to do, and it's more expensive. You have to buy new spells and get a wardrobe that gives you good mana. Fighters is where all the action is in my opinion, like the Warriors, Rogues, monks, paladins...if you really like doing magic pick the enchanters who can make themselves turn into pots and other races which is fun, or the wizards who can cast heavy damage, but if you want to be a shoewin to be chosen in the group, pick a CLERIC clerics are always invited in. The fighting doesn't have much gore, and looting is pretty fun. You develop online friends a lot of times so it's fun to chat with them. Another thing about evolutions is that you get legacies of ykesha (however you spell it) luclin, and plain old eq and traveling is always fun you can go into all these cool places but on the higher levels you have to stay in one place for a long time which gets boring :(. It's hard being a newb luckily my friend helped me out! I've played for 1 and a half years since i don't go on on schooldays only on weekends and summer break. I must admit it is a definitley Challenging game, i don't go on anymore really, cuz i've gotta concentrate on school more. It's probably not as good for kids like me becuz it's sort of addictive and obsessive, but it's a REALLY COOL game to do in ur spare time! Hope I helped all the newbies who might wanta try it out!

Boring
I just found this game boring.There's little else I can say.I have played a whole bunch of games, and this did not catch my interest after a year.I mean, I'm still playing Diablo and Diablo II.

Reviews (119)

Ultima Online
I've played this game since it's release September 1997 at a friend's house constantly. Then in 2001 I finally got a pc and of course I got Ultima Online. I love it. But of course, I need to be reviewing the newest expansion Age of Shadows :) It comes packed with extras. It contains installation for both 2d and 3d version. I use the 2d version more than the 3d version because I am so use to the 2d graphics of UO that I have been playing for so long. The 3d version is very pretty, though. The only gripe about the 3d version is that the characters look like anime cartoons in the face. The magic effects are beautiful and lush. Some complain that the 3d version runs very slow and is buggy. That's nonsense. I have MSN DIAL-UP v.9 and it works just fine. My connection usually only gets up to 50kb/s which makes the 2d run perfect, and the 3d version run good.

This expansion comes packed with new monsters and a whole new map to explore. Most of the new map is just housing plains, but that's fine, because there are some interesting monsters. It also contains the map Ilshenar which was recently only available on the Third Dawn expansion.

If you havn't joined UO yet and you plan to don't buy this now, but wait for the 7th Anniversary to be released this year (2004). It will contain all of the expansions and some rare items, and a full Ultima game included. More bang for the buck.

The most important aspect of any game is the gameplay. In UO, it's flawless. It's not like Everquest where you just fight to gain level. On UO, you fight to live and thrive in the beautiful world or Britannia. Another great thing about UO is that gaining level is more flexible and realistic. You don't just gain HP, you gain other skills and attributes as well. The currency system is easy to grasp onto.

Countless skills to learn and master, and countless gameplay hours. This is the best MMORPG ever. Probably the best video game ever as well.

So you'd like to play UO?
UO is a unique game. Not only can you go on quests, battle, and get a job, but so much more is available. You can create a whole new life for yourself, get a job, buy a house on some remote island, decorate it the way you want. The heart of the game is in the community, though. The graphics *arent* great, and the PvP isnt the most spectacular, but that's not what most players are there for. It's all about friends and relations. It's easy to meet people, and with friends, even the most mundane of quests becomes incredibly fun. If all you want is PvP, this is not the game for you.

Many people are dissatisfied with the OSI shards. They talk of how frustrating the countless bugs are. However, I think they were simply too quick to judge. At first, there *were* tons of bugs, but now, months after the release, there are hardly any. As for lack of space for housing, it is simply a testament to how popular the game is. If you're patient, there is always room for one more house. If playing on OSI shards is what turns you off of the game...there are always *other* possibilities. Look closely, they're there.

UO is an amazing experience, and one I wont forget. It has something that many other games dont, and that is what sets it apart.

Features

• Master Levels teaches your character new abilities, spells, combat styles, and more
• Expansion pack for the award-winning Dark Age of Camelot
• Explore the mostly underwater lost civilization of Atlantis
• The three Realms, Hibernia, Midgard, and Albion, must uncover the power left in the ruins
• All new underwater areas, effects, dungeons, and exploration capabilities

Reviews (88)

This expansion damaged the game
I've played DAoC since it's release.i had a great time - original RVR was a lot of fun, and my friends and i could always find a new distraction to keep us occupied.trials of atlantis, coupled with the updated new frontiers ruined DAoC.atlantis is centered around gaining artifacts, earned through absolutely tedious encounters that often require several groups of players.then, you still need to collect three scrolls to activate the artifact - these drop randomly from some creatures, calling for camping toa mobs endlessly.some of these artifacts are so overpowered that they've made players who don't get them obsolete.also, player crafted armor and particularly weapons have taken a serious blow.they can't compete with the perks on toa drops and artifacts.this expansion has pushed many original players, like myself, to walk away.

A good, but misguided expansion
When the TOA expansion came out, it suffered from its share of bugs and balance issues. Many of these have been fixed. It is attractive and fun, with many quests, artifact mobs, and other challenges. The problem is, its a high level pve expansion in a game that appeals mainly to a PVP audience. PVP lovers usually hate the "repetition" (leveling treadmill, etc) of PVE. And to compete effectively in PVP you are pretty much forced to complete the Master Levels and acquire the Artifacts that are introduced in the expansion.

So if you like PvE, this is good fun. If you are like most folks that play DAOC for the PVP, you will agree that this was a misguided expansion.

Features

• Note: this online-only game requires an Internet connection and charges a monthly fee payable by credit card
• Massively multiplayer online roleplaying Final Fantasy game
• Experience missions by yourself or join up with other party members to form alliances
• Explore the incredibly vast environments that make up Vana'diel
• Connect and communicate with thousands of other gamers

Reviews (187)

A few nits, but overall an exremely solid game
I enjoy playing this game immensely, playing it more often than any other game. A lot of the things other people dislike, I found are the best parts of the game.

For example, players have to cooperate to get things done. Personally, I think that's good. There's very little actual role playing, but I'd rather get to know a real person than a flimsy myth.

There is a bit of a steep learning curve. At first, it's very hard to do anything. You will have to put some time into learning your way around, and it's best if you have real-life or online friends who already play.

People make a lot about the random dying. The thing is, at low levels, dying isn't a big deal. You come back, you lose a few experience points, big deal.

One nice thing is that there's always something new for you to do when you get to a higher level. Others have complained about all these quests that you are given that you cannot do. Well, these are things for you to work on, and as you work up, you will get more assignments. It's not like you get everything when you first start playing.

Yes, moving around is tedious. I agree that this is probably the most serious nit. But this does it make it more rewarding when you gain the ability to ride a Chocobo, ride an Airship, or learn a teleport spell.

I thought this game wouldn't be good for people who really demand instant gratification from a game. But my 9 year old son, who definitely is in that category, just bought a copy with his own money and plan to contribute some of his allowance to the monthly fee. (I'll help him with that, though, it is one of the pricier MMORPHs.)

Square Enix has been actively developing and maintaining the game. They respond to requests and complaints and add new features and special events constantly. You can bet there will be something special for Christmas, Easter, Valentine's Day, and so on.

Might be fine for PS2 users, but PC users demand more...
On the surface, there's nothing wrong with this game.But there's nothing particularly right about it either.

The game offers the traditional massive online role playing features, classes, races, levels, abilities, etc...You go on missions and quests, all in an effort to gain experience and raise your character's level.In that there's nothing new here.The measure of any RPG is how much fun it is in the effort of improving your character.

And that's where the problem is.Truth is, this game just doesn't make it fun.For those of you who cut your online teeth on a game like Neverwinter Nights, this game seems like something out of a bad Disney movie.You spend your first 10 levels killing rabbits.Yes, rabbits.Depending which "world" you start in, rabbits, sheep and fish will be your main enemies and they just keep spawing over and over again.My average experience earned was about 1000 points per hour, meaning it takes about 20 hours of straight farming (purely killing monsters) to make 10th.My time was about twice that because I just couldn't bring myself to do only that.

Now this might not be bad if you could work with others.Unfortunately, teaming up with people actually reduces the experience you get at this level, so you end up either soloing, or having someone power level you through the first 10 levels.

Once you've gone past level 10, you are just about ready to move on to the big experience level places.For me, this was a place called the Dunes.This is where all the 10-20th level folks would hang out to pick up as much xp as possible.When I reached a point where I was powerful enough to go to the Dunes, I was very excited.Finally a place where I could team with other people and have some fun.

Unfortunately, that's not the way it worked out.The Dunes was just another form of farming.The method for earning xp is formulaic.The party forms a little camp somewhere.One of the players leaves the camp to find a monster and coax him to the waiting players.The players kill the monster and gain experience.Once dead, everyone rests and we start again.If you do it right, you move up fast.If you do it wrong, everyone dies.You do this for as many hours as you can in order to move up in level.This section is so formulaic, that even the levels of the party members must be calculated.If you are 12th level and you try to get in with a group of 10th leveler, be prepared to be turned down.Any level difference in the team impacts the experience gained, and the players know it.

Which brings me to my next problem with the game.Random death.Unlike most other RPG's where the monsters are usually hostile immediately upon seeing you, most of these creatures are not.That means that if you steer clear of the innately hostile creatures, you can run around your potential targets and choose who you want to attack and who you want to avoid.This usually means you assess your target, do some quick mental math and decide if your character is likely to survive and gain enough experience to make the battle worthwhile.That means picking creatures who will put up a good fight, but lose in the end.

Once you get the hang of it, it works quite well -- until the random death arrives.Every once in a while, one of the more hostile monsters will come upon your combat and start beating on you.Now there's two problems here.First, it's hard to target the second creature in the combat.The game mechanics make it difficult to combat them both -- through the first 15 levels, I didn't get a single ability that allowed me to target multiple opponents.So, while you are busy trying to finish off your original opponent, the other one goes untouched.Of course the second problem is that when you did the math on the first creature, you didn't take into account creature number two.So, in all likelihood if you get double teamed like this, you are dead.Of course, with death comes penalty, which in this case is a massive loss of experience.

Next problem with the game.The missions.NPC's will hand you out missions and quests -- regardless of your ability to complete them.So, you get a mission and you try to get started on it, only to have someone tell you that you need to be 20+ to do it.Very annoying.Neverwinter typically simply told you to come back and check later when you were ready.Much preferable to finding out about all these missions you can't do.

Next up, no PvP.That's right, player vs. player simply doesn't exist in this game.Now, I'm not a big fan of hunting other players, but it's a part of most RPG games and it being missing in this game really diminishes things.There's just no real conflict.This game is so tame, that you can't even accidentally hurt another player!

And finally, a complete lack of role playing.Just about everyone on the server plays in their own persona, not bothering to create a character persona.Oh there are a few exceptions, but if you try to role play, most don't bother to play back and some don't even understand what you are doing!I was very disappointed to say the least.

To sum up this game, it comes simply down to this.The game creators have put together a game where the players must jump through specific hoops and do specific things in order to advance in the game.The end goal is clearly to ensure that each player plays the game for a specific amount of time that equates to a specific profit margin for the game maker.(You pay a monthly fee to play this game.)

This game may play well for PS2 gamers, where online play is something new and amazing, but for those of us who have spent years playing them on the PC, this game fails to measure up in every important way.When you purchase the game you get a free month of gameplay.I didn't last more that two weeks before I shut it off and went back to Warcraft.

Reviews (232)

A classy MMOG
I'll be the first to admit AC2 had its problems when it launched. However, all of these have now been resolved. The player classes are largely balanced, there is lots to do in game, the crafting system works well, there are now player run vendor shops, the PvP system is alot of fun, its a very newbie friendly game, the combat system is the best EVER in any MMOG. Its fast-paced, tactical, and requires skill rather than just button bashing. definately worth taking a look. Also there is an expansion pack coming out in March with a new race, new continent, and new expansion levels Hero system adding new skills and combat skill-chains.

Just not fun
AC2 has good graphics.It just isn't fun.After you get over the novelty of new graphics (which have now been surpassed by many other games), you start to grind.and grind.And even that wouldn't be too bad if you weren't doing it all alone.The point of multi-player games is to play with other players.In AC2 there are times when there is NOBODY else around.Sigh.

Editorial Review