I know many of you will say, "Why another post / review on this game! Enough is enough already." But for those of you who read our page, I thought it would give you another way to look at things (especially from someone who has been around MMO's since the Dawning of the Age).
First off I would like to say that many of us who have put our input into the topics in this post, are former SWG Players off of the Chilastra server. Many of us (all of us) have been looking forward to this game since it was announced way back in the day - and needless to say, we all feel we have been slightly burned by those over at SOE due to what became of that game.
So now for the real meat and potatoes (which for any ladies out there I am I meat and potatoes kind of guy), our look at the world of SW:ToR and all of its little gizmos and buttons that make the game what it is (or isn't).
The Voice Acting
-------------------
This has to be one of the features many of us enjoy(ed) during our game play time for several various reasons. For one - the lack of having to read a bunch of mindless quest text, along with the feeling of immersion in the world of ToR.
I have seen many of the articles out there at the moment - yet I still feel this is one of the key features in the game that makes it what it is. The fact that (to me) you feel like you ARE in some aspects your character while watching these "cut scenes" play out in front of you along with the options to make you "choose wisely" gives the game a fair amount of depth that many other MMO's (hardly none) have had to date.
This can been seen even more when you go into an "instance" (for lack of a better word) and have your friends in the part with you. The choices you and your party make will infact play a role in how "the story" of the "instance" comes together for you and those around you - as everyone in the part will see the cutscene and the dialog from the character that is speaking.
Combat
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I have to see - the ability to just jump right in and start playing comes almost right out of the gate. None of those horrible starter tutorial things that many games have built into them aside from the occasional "helpful tip" that is displayed - which is not intrusive to your UI and makes you want to smash your face against your keyboard every time one has popped up (even though you selected to turn them off).
The lack of an "auto attack" was a little unnerving to me at first - but as you progress you become accustomed to how your character "works" in combat with out that feature and keeps you at your keyboard for most (if not all) of a fight.
This in turn could help with a lot of the "stand in an area and go afk for an hour" things players do that is common in other games of the genre. If you need to go afk, my advice, log out!
Crafting
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Coming from a game like SWG - this has to be one of my least favorite, but also one of the few MMO's to date that do crafting this way - so I do give a big "thumbs up" to it also.
Item crafting almost has that "WoW-ish" style to it in an aspect of, farm node A, aqcuire rare item B, have them both in your inventory, hit craft, wait. The addition of reverse engineering (ala WoW (disenchanting) or many of the other games that have a "deconstruct" or "salvage" option)) generally helps in leveling up your skill faster to get back resources - but it also helps to keep market quantities somewhat lower (as many people want the mats).
Though - I felt at a lose when I found out I could only have *1* crafting skill combined with 2 harvesting skills, or 1 general harvesting - and 1 harvesting that requires your companions to run the "missions" for items. Even though the companions do your craft and certain missions for you to get the items - you will still gain skill levels in that field.
Companions
--------------
I do enjoy them, and they do help very much so. Yet having one feels like I am playing Dragon Age with a ToR skin on it. A fair amount of aspect of DA:O are in the game (companion gifts, affection points), though somehow I still believe the system can be refined.
Some of the interactions seem, "out of whack" - like having companions go down elevators and then holding up to engage in combat ( think of a very useless Alistair (which for the most part I felt he was :P )).
There is also the romance option to get your "cyber phunk" on with your companion (shade of Morrigan and Leliana anyone?), which unlike DA:O there is really no Asian Happy Ending after you get to where you need to with selected companion.
Though I have to say my favorite companion (yes I have one), is Kira - although I will not be playing a Jedi Knight.
Visuals / Graphics
-------------------
I know many people complain that is "too cartoony" (and most of it comes from people who are playing WoW still and troll threads), but the environments are beautiful to be around. As i said before - you feel like you are in your own Star Wars Saga, and seeing the worlds and who they look (with DX11) makes it all that much more enjoyable.
Almost every planet I have been to I have said (or compaired) how they ToR looks better then Game X. Though most of the time it is based off of playtime spent in SWG - it sheds some light on to how that game was very outdated (in today's market).
One of my favorite visuals is the "Sith Corruption" that can be turned on/off in your preferences and works via Dark Side Alignment. Depending on how much of a murderous bastard you are - your character looks more and more like and wrinkled zombie from the Apocalypse of 2012.
For me - it is a welcomed feature.
Audio / Sounds
-----------------
I can't really be as biased on this subject as many people (my headset is 7.1 surround) - but it is another immersion factor that helps the story along.
Music and ambiance are great (and come with your typical sliders in preferences) and with the 7.1 - help greatly in PvP situations.
PvP / Warzones
-----------------
I didn't do a heck of a lot of these - but they are a joy after a long day of grinding. My favorite (Alderaan) is basically a capture the control point type map where massive killing abounds.
Voidstar - is basically a bombing run type map (for those that have played CS:S) where you need to set bombs, blow shit up, and get to the last room with the fastest time you can.
Huttball - I have to say this is my least favorite of them, simply because it feels a little too "cluttered" for my tastes. I'm not the best person to speak to about Huttball - as I will rage and tell you how much I hate it.
Space
--------
Once again - fun yet, work can be done with it. Basically you are doing "space combat" on a rail system (ala Starfox) to get to the end of your mission. There is no free control of your ships or anything of that nature. To me the ship felt like a "mobile bank" and extra spot to store junk I din't want to hold in my inventory - as your ship has a cargo hold.
On the other side of things - if you are a good FPS player, space seems like a quick alternative to gaining fast XP.
Overall
---------
I do love this game (as many of you know). I do feel like there needs to be a little more work done before live (as with many of the games I have tested in the past). I also believe that the game will be quite successful at launch and in the long term.
The phrase, "Star Wars is too big to fail" has been in my mind since SWG went down the tank, and I will not deny that there is room for error. Yet there is also the ability to succeed. Which to me and many other would be a great joy in our hearts.
So we shall see what happens. As of writing this - launch day is exactly 1 month away. So only time will tell, as with all things!
As always, I hope you enjoy the blog and I look forward to seeing you all inside the gaming world! Until next time.....
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Showing posts with label MMO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MMO. Show all posts
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Emulators - Bringing Back the Past or Destroying our Future?
Now I know many of you who are reading this right now are like myself - you grew up with games on the intelivision, atari, 3DO, nintendo, and things of that nature. And much like myself, you would love and relish in the chance to relive some of those childhood memories by playing Tank Defender or Zelda once again. For most of us we cannot, and have to resort to the process of emulation and play them on our PC if we really want to.
But what if one of your all time favorite video games that is currently on the market is on a "private server" and you can play for free and get all of the awesome goodies without any of the "work" involved with getting them? Do you still play it, or do you step aside and play the real deal?
Many people in the MMO world have succumb to the the fact that they would rather play the free version of a game and do ZERO work for many of the items and goodies a game has to offer!
Let's take World of Warcraft for example. This game has had many different types of emulators in the past, and many of them have been shut down. Most of them due to "illegal funds transfers" to the hosting sites in the form of donations for "play to win items". In most cases Blizzard has come up on top in court and (as I stated above) many were forced to shut down and close their doors.
How about another example - The Star Wars Galaxies Emulator (aka SWG Emu). Yes, SWG is and was a fan favorite by many, but does it require an emulator to some very old and for that matter - out dated and dead code files that these tech heads have acquired illegally through the use of packet sniffers and many self made reverse engineering tools? I personally do not believe so. Aside from that the website has avoid prosecution from SOE / LA various times, and to top it of has had much of their donation money taken, stolen, or used by many of the people on board with the project for various "personal expenses".
With the launch date of SW:ToR on the horizon, and other games like Guild Wars 2 - will these games come under fire by the various "pirating" groups out there on the net? I hope not.
For many of us these games are a safe place to play and build friendships and acquire a strong sense of community within our chosen game. What many of these "emu" servers do is take from that community so that they can build their own due to someone else's achievements and glory.
Yes, my stance on the subject matter is somewhat 50/50 - but I do not wish for a game that I pay a set fee for every month to be turned away by thousands if not millions of players just because there is a cheaper (free) alternative on the internet. Most of the time this is how many of the great games of our time often get sour or bad reviews - due to players playing on free servers and not liking what that community has implemented and never actually playing the real game for what it is worth.
I generally see these "servers" (if you can call them that) as a problematic feature that is out there on the internet these days. If you want to "make money" (or donations as you emu people call them) - go and create your own video game, and not steal it from someone else and use the word "donation" to back up the fact that you are STEALING money from innocent people who are too dumb to see through your lies.
I know this is a sour topic on my blog - one of which I really should not be venting over. I just hope in the future that there will be a higher level of security features set in place for many of the great games of our time so many of the "criminals" out there cannot and do not take away from OUR gameplay as well as that of others.
I think I have spoken enough on this topic - so I shall see you all next time!
Cheers :)
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But what if one of your all time favorite video games that is currently on the market is on a "private server" and you can play for free and get all of the awesome goodies without any of the "work" involved with getting them? Do you still play it, or do you step aside and play the real deal?
Many people in the MMO world have succumb to the the fact that they would rather play the free version of a game and do ZERO work for many of the items and goodies a game has to offer!
Let's take World of Warcraft for example. This game has had many different types of emulators in the past, and many of them have been shut down. Most of them due to "illegal funds transfers" to the hosting sites in the form of donations for "play to win items". In most cases Blizzard has come up on top in court and (as I stated above) many were forced to shut down and close their doors.
How about another example - The Star Wars Galaxies Emulator (aka SWG Emu). Yes, SWG is and was a fan favorite by many, but does it require an emulator to some very old and for that matter - out dated and dead code files that these tech heads have acquired illegally through the use of packet sniffers and many self made reverse engineering tools? I personally do not believe so. Aside from that the website has avoid prosecution from SOE / LA various times, and to top it of has had much of their donation money taken, stolen, or used by many of the people on board with the project for various "personal expenses".
With the launch date of SW:ToR on the horizon, and other games like Guild Wars 2 - will these games come under fire by the various "pirating" groups out there on the net? I hope not.
For many of us these games are a safe place to play and build friendships and acquire a strong sense of community within our chosen game. What many of these "emu" servers do is take from that community so that they can build their own due to someone else's achievements and glory.
Yes, my stance on the subject matter is somewhat 50/50 - but I do not wish for a game that I pay a set fee for every month to be turned away by thousands if not millions of players just because there is a cheaper (free) alternative on the internet. Most of the time this is how many of the great games of our time often get sour or bad reviews - due to players playing on free servers and not liking what that community has implemented and never actually playing the real game for what it is worth.
I generally see these "servers" (if you can call them that) as a problematic feature that is out there on the internet these days. If you want to "make money" (or donations as you emu people call them) - go and create your own video game, and not steal it from someone else and use the word "donation" to back up the fact that you are STEALING money from innocent people who are too dumb to see through your lies.
I know this is a sour topic on my blog - one of which I really should not be venting over. I just hope in the future that there will be a higher level of security features set in place for many of the great games of our time so many of the "criminals" out there cannot and do not take away from OUR gameplay as well as that of others.
I think I have spoken enough on this topic - so I shall see you all next time!
Cheers :)
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Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Earthrise (Sci-Fi Sandbox) Goes F2P
Earthrise - one of the next up and coming Sci-Fi Sandbox game that had recently launched this year (I had no idea it had already), has just recently announced that it is about to go to a pure F2P (Free to Play) model and bypass any type of subscription base for its users. The game resembles that of an "Old School SWG" type game (hell it comes very close to it) - it just has a lot better graphics and such.
As of December 1st of this year - players will be able to experience the game without subscriptions as the game moves into 2012 and into the pure F2P market. The Dev's have stated that there will be no "Pay to Win Items" in the game upon going F2P - and seeing as the game is very "player skill" based, this may help in the long term of the game.
For all of you who like "sandbox" games - it may be something to try out while we wait patiently for SW:ToR's release date to arrive come the 20th. I know many of you may not want to play anything that resembles anything like SWG - but, it could be worth the time to get in touch with some "new old school" and then get into the "new new school" and start fresh!
I honestly do not have much to say about this particular title as I have not played it, hell I didn't even know it had released yet! This to me shows why the company who had made the game needs to go to a free to play model - BAD MARKETING!
If many of the player base who like Sci-Fi games (and for that matter Sandbox Sci-Fi Games) do not know your title has been released yet - you damn well better be ready to lose a tremendous amount of cash that you had already put forth into your project. This here seems to be the case for Earthrise. I know many of the refugees from Star Wars Galaxies probably would have jumped on to this title like flies on... (you get the picture). I mean how can a development company have such blatant disregard for something they have put all that time and effort into to just let it slip away like that?!
It is just careless and a lot of poor planning. I think I have said enough about this at the current time - though I may go and try this out to see how the title play when it does go full F2P in December prior to the launch of ToR. So hopefully by then I shall have another update to post about Earthrise and see what all the fuss is about!
Here is the full article provided by Massively: http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/15/earthrise-killing-subscriptions-going-free-to-play-in-2012
Cheers All!
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As of December 1st of this year - players will be able to experience the game without subscriptions as the game moves into 2012 and into the pure F2P market. The Dev's have stated that there will be no "Pay to Win Items" in the game upon going F2P - and seeing as the game is very "player skill" based, this may help in the long term of the game.
For all of you who like "sandbox" games - it may be something to try out while we wait patiently for SW:ToR's release date to arrive come the 20th. I know many of you may not want to play anything that resembles anything like SWG - but, it could be worth the time to get in touch with some "new old school" and then get into the "new new school" and start fresh!
I honestly do not have much to say about this particular title as I have not played it, hell I didn't even know it had released yet! This to me shows why the company who had made the game needs to go to a free to play model - BAD MARKETING!
If many of the player base who like Sci-Fi games (and for that matter Sandbox Sci-Fi Games) do not know your title has been released yet - you damn well better be ready to lose a tremendous amount of cash that you had already put forth into your project. This here seems to be the case for Earthrise. I know many of the refugees from Star Wars Galaxies probably would have jumped on to this title like flies on... (you get the picture). I mean how can a development company have such blatant disregard for something they have put all that time and effort into to just let it slip away like that?!
It is just careless and a lot of poor planning. I think I have said enough about this at the current time - though I may go and try this out to see how the title play when it does go full F2P in December prior to the launch of ToR. So hopefully by then I shall have another update to post about Earthrise and see what all the fuss is about!
Here is the full article provided by Massively: http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/15/earthrise-killing-subscriptions-going-free-to-play-in-2012
Cheers All!
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SW:ToR Closes in on 1 Million Boxed Pre-Orders
As one of the most anticipated MMORPG's this year closes in on its December 20th release date, it is also gradually closing in on the fabled "1 Million Mark" for Pre-Orders alone. Now many of you will say, "Man that's nothing! World of Warcraft has 13 Million subs!" Well there is one thing to remember here Children of the Panda - this number is strictly North America Only, it also does not include Digital Download Pre-Orders, and it DOES NOT take account for ANY of the Pre-Orders from Europe.
So with that said, can this game be the "WoW Killer" so many of us have dreamed about and longed for since the release of that game? I will say - we will have to wait and see. As far as industry leading innovations, the team at BioWare has pretty much set the standards now with ToR. If it is any indication from what Blizzard will be doing with their upcoming "Panda Bear and Sparkle Pony" Expansion (voice overs and no auto attacks), I think this shows how much Blizzard wishes they were BioWare and thought of this stuff first.
Sadly though, they didn't!
No, I really am not sad about that (./insert lulz here) - because honestly I want ToR to be a HUGE competitor to a game that has become one of the EASIEST MMO's on the market where even a 4 year old child can successfully do level 85 raids as a Main Tank (Yes! I was in a guild where the guild leader let his youngest son tank raids, he was 4 years old)!
I want there to be a challenge - I want SKILL to dominate! I do not want the factor of GEAR to set the standard for what you CAN and CANNOT do in a game!
The MMO's of old used this concept to its fullest extent - people loved it! Personally, I believe that ToR (with what has been shown and said) - is very well going to accomplish this style of play, and once again make me feel like I have a game I can make my "home" for some time to come.
I know the stakes are high for BioWare, as we the fans are coming up on the very final "Beta Weekend". Then after that it will probably be time for that one blissful moment of "Early Access". If the cards are right - BioWare is going to win one of the largest pots of all time! It just seems like everyone here is waiting for that river card to turn so we can see who wins the big bucks in the Battle of MMO's.
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So with that said, can this game be the "WoW Killer" so many of us have dreamed about and longed for since the release of that game? I will say - we will have to wait and see. As far as industry leading innovations, the team at BioWare has pretty much set the standards now with ToR. If it is any indication from what Blizzard will be doing with their upcoming "Panda Bear and Sparkle Pony" Expansion (voice overs and no auto attacks), I think this shows how much Blizzard wishes they were BioWare and thought of this stuff first.
Sadly though, they didn't!
No, I really am not sad about that (./insert lulz here) - because honestly I want ToR to be a HUGE competitor to a game that has become one of the EASIEST MMO's on the market where even a 4 year old child can successfully do level 85 raids as a Main Tank (Yes! I was in a guild where the guild leader let his youngest son tank raids, he was 4 years old)!
I want there to be a challenge - I want SKILL to dominate! I do not want the factor of GEAR to set the standard for what you CAN and CANNOT do in a game!
The MMO's of old used this concept to its fullest extent - people loved it! Personally, I believe that ToR (with what has been shown and said) - is very well going to accomplish this style of play, and once again make me feel like I have a game I can make my "home" for some time to come.
I know the stakes are high for BioWare, as we the fans are coming up on the very final "Beta Weekend". Then after that it will probably be time for that one blissful moment of "Early Access". If the cards are right - BioWare is going to win one of the largest pots of all time! It just seems like everyone here is waiting for that river card to turn so we can see who wins the big bucks in the Battle of MMO's.
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Thursday, November 10, 2011
SW:ToR Beta Weekend #3 - Marketing Ploy or Bug Removal?
This week BioWare had announced that beta weekend #3 had come to the surprise of many of its fans. As this weekend is upon us I simply find myself asking one little question - "Why are we still testing a game that is nearly ready for launch?" I do understand the concept behind all the testing and such, but are these weekends being used as a way to "draw" the undecided into either A). Purchasing a Pre-Order, or B). Refining a game that is still incomplete.
In some aspect I believe it is a little of both. The part that frightens me a bit is that if in fact it has a little to do with the second option, what does this mean for launch day? Will the game in fact be complete and rid of the bugs that were found in previous builds that had been tested?
I have been around too many MMO's that have been launched and tested that have come out of the box feeling like they were missing pieces here and there, or just did not have the right pieces where they should be at all. I have no doubts that BioWare will have a completed game come December 20th - but I feel like I should be a little weary with the amount of "testing" this is still happening a month or so before the game arrives at my door step.
I am a very jaded Star War Galaxies player of old, and that game was so incomplete that at times it was totally unplayable. I do not wish the same for ToR or any other Star Wars branded game, as I have a huge undying love for anything in the Star Wars Universe. To think that there COULD be that chance that something will go awry would be devastating to me - and thousands of others who have been wronged by SOE and the SWG model of play.
No I am not saying ToR is anything like SWG (it certainly is not, from what I have seen), nor am I comparing BioWare to SOE's business model (money first - screw your loyal costumer base after). I just feel that there is something that is "unseen" (as with anything in the development process), that many of us wish to see and know.
I know many of the people playing SWG right now will not be satisfied until ToR completely sinks and fails, where as the old schoolers (like myself), are looking forward to this like a kid running downstairs on Christmas morning.
All I wish to convey in this piece is that sense of uncertainty that many of us feel in our gut when we take a log back on the past, and are trying to look ahead to the future of the gaming realm. Sure there have been things like World of Warcraft that have come out - but that slowly went downhill and then turned into an "NGE" of sorts that SWG had done previously!
I hope and pray that BioWare sticks to their guns and keeps the game the way that they have planned from the start and does not falter when the community demands there to be some sort of radical changes that could be utterly detrimental to the game (as development companies usually do). I want this game to be great! My friends want it to be great! For it to be anything else then that - would be heartbreaking.
I am looking forward to December 20th like many of you out there and hope to see you in game. Let us all make this game last and become one of the best out there to date! I know this was a bit off the cuff, but I feel it needed to be said.
Cheers All!
In some aspect I believe it is a little of both. The part that frightens me a bit is that if in fact it has a little to do with the second option, what does this mean for launch day? Will the game in fact be complete and rid of the bugs that were found in previous builds that had been tested?
I have been around too many MMO's that have been launched and tested that have come out of the box feeling like they were missing pieces here and there, or just did not have the right pieces where they should be at all. I have no doubts that BioWare will have a completed game come December 20th - but I feel like I should be a little weary with the amount of "testing" this is still happening a month or so before the game arrives at my door step.
I am a very jaded Star War Galaxies player of old, and that game was so incomplete that at times it was totally unplayable. I do not wish the same for ToR or any other Star Wars branded game, as I have a huge undying love for anything in the Star Wars Universe. To think that there COULD be that chance that something will go awry would be devastating to me - and thousands of others who have been wronged by SOE and the SWG model of play.
No I am not saying ToR is anything like SWG (it certainly is not, from what I have seen), nor am I comparing BioWare to SOE's business model (money first - screw your loyal costumer base after). I just feel that there is something that is "unseen" (as with anything in the development process), that many of us wish to see and know.
I know many of the people playing SWG right now will not be satisfied until ToR completely sinks and fails, where as the old schoolers (like myself), are looking forward to this like a kid running downstairs on Christmas morning.
All I wish to convey in this piece is that sense of uncertainty that many of us feel in our gut when we take a log back on the past, and are trying to look ahead to the future of the gaming realm. Sure there have been things like World of Warcraft that have come out - but that slowly went downhill and then turned into an "NGE" of sorts that SWG had done previously!
I hope and pray that BioWare sticks to their guns and keeps the game the way that they have planned from the start and does not falter when the community demands there to be some sort of radical changes that could be utterly detrimental to the game (as development companies usually do). I want this game to be great! My friends want it to be great! For it to be anything else then that - would be heartbreaking.
I am looking forward to December 20th like many of you out there and hope to see you in game. Let us all make this game last and become one of the best out there to date! I know this was a bit off the cuff, but I feel it needed to be said.
Cheers All!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Aion - My First Impressions for 2011
Ok, so I know I have never played Aion before and I know it seems a little late in the game to be posting a "review" of this sorts for a game that has been out for over a year - but I think it seems about that time to give it a go and look into it for those of us who have never given this little gem the through and through it quite well deserves.
Let me start by saying the character I played was around level 50 and the other 55 and in pretty much all top tier raid gear that was in fact best in slot for its specific class (or quite close to it), which made playing the game quite easier then the challenges most of you will face during the times you will face as you adventure through-out the world as you level. With that being said, the combat to me felt quite fluid and faced past with little to no down time what-so-ever as the animations pound on the onslaught of mobs that are on screen.
The ability to chain attacks (much like that in Age of Conan) was quite a pleasure to me as many of the abilities when they pop up (as a little highlighted toolbar icon) make the damage increase slightly and make you feel like the combat is going that much faster as well. It also allows you to be a prominent key clicker as opposed to the option of just using the number pad as per many of the other MMO's on the market that generally default to that style of play. In fact it almost felt "easier" to click the keys instead of mashing buttons (which I am accustomed to).
The other nice thing about the combat is that if and when a mob you have targeted runs out of range from you and you have queued up an ability, your avatar will run right after it and start beating on it without you needing to hit any of your movement keys to chase it down. This in itself made me scream out in joy, as I had felt many of my bonds and shackles released from past MMO's where I had to chase down runners in zones and instances.
The in game flight and travel is a great thing also - the down fall though to "popping your wings" though is the limited time span and cool down to reopen them for the most part. The character I had been playing had about 3 minutes of flight time, which to me felt short coming from a game like WoW where I could just fly to my hearts content.
The music on the other hand had a very Asian flare in most cases - which to me felt like I was play a Street Fighter arcade game and I was about to see the big bold "K.O." letters appear in the center of my screen time and time again. The good thing was I could turn the music down, or even off in some of the zone - but it tended to take away from many of the ambient features of the game that I was looking forward to.
Graphically the game is amazing and the world and character features (along with armor) look very well done, but they too have that mix of "semi-real" to "anime" like feel mixed together, which could draw some players away from even playing this game. The city scaped are very well done and for the most part look and feel very massive (some I have yet to explore fully). NPC models are just as well done as player models - but I tend to feel as if they "lack" in one department or another for what ever reason, where as "mobs" differ somehow (I just can't place why though).
All in all I feel as if this game should at least be given a try if you haven't already. I enjoy it very much!
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Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 6/10
Combat: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replay Value: 8.5/10
Let me start by saying the character I played was around level 50 and the other 55 and in pretty much all top tier raid gear that was in fact best in slot for its specific class (or quite close to it), which made playing the game quite easier then the challenges most of you will face during the times you will face as you adventure through-out the world as you level. With that being said, the combat to me felt quite fluid and faced past with little to no down time what-so-ever as the animations pound on the onslaught of mobs that are on screen.
The ability to chain attacks (much like that in Age of Conan) was quite a pleasure to me as many of the abilities when they pop up (as a little highlighted toolbar icon) make the damage increase slightly and make you feel like the combat is going that much faster as well. It also allows you to be a prominent key clicker as opposed to the option of just using the number pad as per many of the other MMO's on the market that generally default to that style of play. In fact it almost felt "easier" to click the keys instead of mashing buttons (which I am accustomed to).
The other nice thing about the combat is that if and when a mob you have targeted runs out of range from you and you have queued up an ability, your avatar will run right after it and start beating on it without you needing to hit any of your movement keys to chase it down. This in itself made me scream out in joy, as I had felt many of my bonds and shackles released from past MMO's where I had to chase down runners in zones and instances.
The in game flight and travel is a great thing also - the down fall though to "popping your wings" though is the limited time span and cool down to reopen them for the most part. The character I had been playing had about 3 minutes of flight time, which to me felt short coming from a game like WoW where I could just fly to my hearts content.
The music on the other hand had a very Asian flare in most cases - which to me felt like I was play a Street Fighter arcade game and I was about to see the big bold "K.O." letters appear in the center of my screen time and time again. The good thing was I could turn the music down, or even off in some of the zone - but it tended to take away from many of the ambient features of the game that I was looking forward to.
Graphically the game is amazing and the world and character features (along with armor) look very well done, but they too have that mix of "semi-real" to "anime" like feel mixed together, which could draw some players away from even playing this game. The city scaped are very well done and for the most part look and feel very massive (some I have yet to explore fully). NPC models are just as well done as player models - but I tend to feel as if they "lack" in one department or another for what ever reason, where as "mobs" differ somehow (I just can't place why though).
All in all I feel as if this game should at least be given a try if you haven't already. I enjoy it very much!
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Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Graphics: 9/10
Music: 6/10
Combat: 9/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Replay Value: 8.5/10
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