Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Review

Putting out a review of a MMO before it is even out?! Isn't that kind of insane. Especially when it is in doubt if the MMO will start at all next week in Europe, given the state of the open beta currently, account servers broken, email servers busted etc.

I'm also confused as to how it works too. Oh well, its a decent score (to some).

But what is it good for?

They're utterly dependent on en even balance between the two realms on each server - and at beta stage, there's a worrying bias towards Destruction on all servers.

This was obvious from the beginning every kid wants to be Chaos.. would have been the same with a 40k MMO but with Space Marines

Still this open beta is surprisingly entertaining.. playing a Goblin Shaman was always my ambition lets hope they add dwarf slayers in an expansion :D

[edit was for typo.. happy now? :P]

Did this review break the internet? I couldn't access the site at all for ages.

Anyway, good score, even though I don't play MMOs and don't do PC gaming.

@stevetuck:

While you were editing for typo you could've at least corrected "would of" to "would have". ;)

500 comments

150 from Goal "omg game is shit no way 8/10 lol" posts

take the review with a pinch of salt eurogamer gave aoc 8/10 when first reviewed

Score seems appropriate. Good game, overall, with some niggles that drop it from greatness.

However, i'm confident that Mythic can address these, moving forward. Certainly, there's been nothing close to WAR, MMORPG wise, since WoW was released. That alone is good enough for me to move across to a fresh and new, yet solidly familiar, game.

Gotta love those Warrior Priests! Hammer time!

It's hardly too early to review it - in fact he points out it will be re-visited. The game is pretty much in a complete state as is. More of a gamma than a beta.

A lot of people need/want to know what it's like before buying it. A guarded review but very positive. A bit like how I feel about it, having bad memories of AoC fresh in my mind.

mithic arent handleing europe goa are goa in mithis outher game used edit quests etc and delys with patchs

Sounds good. I've never bothered with an MMO before, and having been a bit of a Warhammer fan in my youth, I think I might pick this up and give it a whirl.

I haven't played a decent dwarf character in years. Warhammer dwarves are 10x cooler than dwarves in any other fantasy.

The Age of Conan review came a month after it was released, when they had time to see how horrendously broken and unfinished it was, and they still gave it an 8.

MMOs seem to get away with cloning WOW (boxes ticked!) and then releasing them unifinished. Then they charge full price on top of a subscription fee while they finish it.

Looks like more of the same to me, I'm afraid.

Spot on review

I feel let down by EuroGamer, just like I'm about to let myself down with this horribly cliché metaphor; MMO's are like wine, they take time to mature and develop (that is, to snowball patches, gain players, establish an economy and most importantly; gain a communal identity).

It's a fact which makes the ugly first review of an MMO all the more painful...so why on Earth has EG decided to stick another nail in the possible coffin by reviewing a BETA VERSION OF THE GAME?! Maybe I'm over-reacting here...8/10 is by no means a bad mark...but considering that 8/10 will now hang over the head of WAR until EG decide to re-review the game, it hardly seems fair...essentially potential buyers will be taking a beta score as benchmark for a retail game....a retail game which could surpass the negatives of the beta...A mere 7 additional days hold on the review could have seen the negatives mentioned in the review start to fade away, if not completely dissapear...possibly earning the game another mark and possibly earning the game a slightly larger customer base (the type that base purchases entirely on the reviews made by their favourite sites).

I still hold EG in high regard as my #1 review site and home page, but I certainly hope the game is re-reviewed not long from now (so that it is a legitamate review of the product to be bought...not the product as it stands in beta).

I actually agree with the review as the game stands - aside from the fact that I believe the 'Target is not Attackable' bug is quite catastrophic at the moment. I just don't agree with beta reviews being mixed in with retail reviews.

Word.

As good as halo then?

(someone had to)

Most of the concerns in this review aren't the sort an extra week will fix, they're the sort that months of play in the wild expose and focus dev attention on.

Personally I feel it's 7/10 currently but agree for the most part with this (pre)review

@Chufty

It's a shame that you feel this way, because from my hands-on experience in the last few days, i'd say its right up there. It won't be anywhere near WoW in terms of content, because Blizz have years worth of head-start on them, but in terms of reviewing whats there right now, it's in very good shape.

Graphics, texture issues aside, are by and large very good. A great mixture of EQ2 and WoW. Stylistically, where I once thought WoW had that covered hands-down, WAR raises the bar again with fantastic housing, castles and the like, rendered beautifully and, unexpectedly, in an extremely great Z-axis way. Thats one thing where WoW went wrong. Castles and Keeps seemed very flat, whereas here, you need to actually pan up to see the parapets. The sense of scale is very well done.

Yes, of course it borrows from WoW and the like. Just as it borrowed from EQ1 and just as that borrowed from Meridian 59. However, what it does it does extremely well.

I consider myself to be a very jaded MMOPRG gamer. WoW has been 'it' for quite some time but, from my now informed perspective after playing in the Open Beta, WAR offers a good alternative. Good enough that I've binned my WoW account and have preordered this. I can't think of any better recommendation than when I choose to use my wallet.

As a several month beta tester I would say this review is spot on. Good job. See you in WAR.

omg, here I am idly refreshing eurogamer at 7pm and i see a WAR review ?

was downloading the beta but ran out of diskspace (with lotro and other stuff already installed on my small but fast 73 Gig Raptor 10k), so now I need to check the reviews rather than gameplay to see whether it's worth it

*grabs sandwich and commences review dissection*

WoW got 8/10 from EG too, and the review is very similar as well.

Aye, wow at launch and now are very different, considering this is a review of the beta 8/10 is no bad thing imho

Hmmm, reviewing the game before its even out, and then downmarking it because the servers are quiet...

i've said it before, i'm no longer happy with the reviewing policy of Eurogamer, it seems focused on being the first out there, rather than being interested in the game itself

regardless, i'm loving the beta, its a 9/10 for me, and, if mythic handle themselves well, this time next year it will be a 10/10

8/10? I guess it is as bad as AoC then.

lol even if you access to the closed beta for months, making a review while the game it in OB it kinda brave at least. You have enough traffic and members, dont go over the edge just because you can. And yeah you gave 8/10 to AOC after 1 month? You need a new editor for mmorpg games, tho this review scored some nice points, but it to early. I also loved how you gave 8/10 to Spore, you really love simple games eh?

Was a good review, highlighted some of the good and bad points. And from my time in Open Beta Test, I love it. I was never a big RvR player (usually due to awful pings) but I jumped into a RvR area and was hooked. Can only hope the Keep and City sieges are as much fun.

WAR has a great foundation of a game right now, give Mythic a few months to iron out bugs and bring some new stuff [4 missing classes please :) ] and it will be a genre classic.

I forgot why I didn't come into comment threads anymore.

I remember now.

Why they gave Age of Conan a month's breathing space and not this I don't know, but WAR is a must buy for me anyway.


8/10 SHOULD be a recommended in anyone's book.

Commenting on the server population in such an early review seems a little weak to me.
Especially seeing as how there's nowhere near the population that there will be come launch, let alone without all the open beta issues.
Besides that though, I very much agree with the review.
For me, this game is what the MMO market needs, a true competitor to WoW.

Been playing the beta almost non-stop for the past few days, absolutely loving it, am probably going to be buying it. I just can't stop. The RVR is brilliant fun, and I even really like the PVE quests, but yeah, not many dungeons in this game. I used to be really scared to do any sort of PVP for some reason, but this makes it so easy and never really punishes you, I love it.

Buyer Beware.

Eurogamer runs a one point scale for reviewing mmorpgs. From the very best (WoW, Guild Wars), through the fun but flawed (Tabula Rasa), through the distinctly average (WAR), even unto the abominable (Age of Conan)... all have received the same 8/10 score from this website.

What's a pity is that the review touches on the most broken aspect of this game, namely the combat feel, but undersells the problem. WAR doesn't give the player enough feedback when moves are complete - combine this with jerky animations and effects/damage that lags well behind your button presses and the overall feeling is one of looseness, inaccuracy and frustration.

When I hit an instant ability in WOW I get an immediate sound effect and a quick animation, followed by a large red number that tells me I'm being successful. Click one here and hope that you here the tiny noise from the UI, wait and watch your avatar produce a laborious animation, and then check the tiny red bar somewhere near the mob to have a look at the damage. Don't take too long though, cause the global cooldown is finishing and you need to start mashing. The combat gives you two choices - stare at the toolbar to get the GCD rhythm to maximise damage.. or else watch the action but end up mashing and hoping for the best.

I'd also point out the world graphics in this game are awful. The biggest issue is the draw distance. The world is so dingy and dark, and this is further hindered by the fact you can't see more than 6ft in front of you. The reviewer must have a future build if he was able to actually see much of the architecture to compliment it. The overall effect of exploration in WAR is that of walking home from the pub drunk at 2am, scared to look anywhere else but the ground in front of you. The bits that you do make out are unispired and the engine feels creakier than the DX7 Warcraft one.

The lore in this game is also badly implemented. You carry around a tome that fills up after you accomplish arbritrary things in game. Problem is, it's written about important NPCs and the history of the zone - the overall effect is 'what does this have to do with me?'. It leaves the player feeling rather alienated from what's going, and you'll probably ignore it after a short while, prefering just to grind in the incohesive world wherever you find yourself.

Elsewhere, WAR copys it's inspiration in a perfunctory manner, showing little inspiration outside the public quests (a great idea admittedly). It's a functional clone. It's not quite as pretty, it sounds a lot worse (the music is terrible), and it doesn't work quite as smoothly. Kinda like the 'soggy seconds' version of WoW. But it's the David to Blizzard's Goliath so it will no doubt attract a legion of fanboy defenders somehow thinking they are less mainstream by subbing to it.

My advice, wait till its in the bargain buckets, by which time this turd might be polished.

People are going to buy it, level to maximum and quit again. Happens to all MMOs these days. If you're the type of grinder to go beyond that, then there is that other place. Not that it's better, you can just brag in front of more people, which is the only goal.

Eurogamer MMORPG reviews are indeed a joke historically (/slap Keiron) but WAR is a definite 8 or 9 on anyone's scale.

Miss WoW's world PvP? Sick of PvP-in-a-can? Get this.

I do kinda worry about the fact that you've fielded a review so early - especially with observations like:

The feel of Warhammer Online's combat worried us when we first played it early this year, and although it's made some strides since then, it still falls short of perfection.

When in the patch accompanying retail release they are addressing that "stodgy" feeling you describe.

"I actually agree with the review as the game stands - aside from the fact that I believe the 'Target is not Attackable' bug is quite catastrophic at the moment. I just don't agree with beta reviews being mixed in with retail reviews. "

I agree, although i'd mark the game down a little more for the iffy combat feel and lack of social aspects. Yes, its a battle-based game, but the Warhammer world is so full of character and story that they could have done a lot more with it. Much like with Age of Conan, it feels like the team here have done half a job of bringing the world to life, but they could have gone much, much further.

Still, its fun, and I'll be playing it for a while at least. But I'll still be playing LOTRO alongside it. I need my storytelling and sense of achievement in games, not just mindless killing.

@Gaol

"Buyer Beware.

Eurogamer runs a one point scale for reviewing mmorpgs. From the very best (WoW, Guild Wars), through the fun but flawed (Tabula Rasa), through the distinctly average (WAR), even unto the abominable (Age of Conan)... all have received the same 8/10 score from this website"

So I guess my own impressions of the game, after actually having a go, are null and void because of EGs review? Do you need a tinfoil hat?


"What's a pity is that the review touches on the most broken aspect of this game, namely the combat feel, but undersells the problem. WAR doesn't give the player enough feedback when moves are complete - combine this with jerky animations and effects/damage that lags well behind your button presses and the overall feeling is one of looseness, inaccuracy and frustration"

All of which, if its that much of a problem, will be rectified as the game continues to be developed. Do not judge a MMORPG by its merits, purely from the release code perspective. We all know, understand and accept that MMORPGs develop and progress as they grow. Speaking from my experience so far, i've not encountered this particular 'quirk' of the gameplay but hey ho, it sounds like a REAL gamebreaker...


"When I hit an instant ability in WOW I get an immediate sound effect and a quick animation, followed by a large red number that tells me I'm being successful. Click one here and hope that you here the tiny noise from the UI, wait and watch your avatar produce a laborious animation, and then check the tiny red bar somewhere near the mob to have a look at the damage. Don't take too long though, cause the global cooldown is finishing and you need to start mashing. The combat gives you two choices - stare at the toolbar to get the GCD rhythm to maximise damage.. or else watch the action but end up mashing and hoping for the best"

Umm, if I click to attack I see that my Warrior Priest swings his weapon and, y'know, attack. Not really understanding what the problem is here, because you can absolutely break WoW down into exactly the same 'stare at the toolbar' approach, especially so if you're a healer. If youi can't adjust your gameplay between button staring and action staring, like every other MMORPG to date has also required, then i'd probably suggest you leave these kinds of games alone.


"I'd also point out the world graphics in this game are awful. The biggest issue is the draw distance. The world is so dingy and dark, and this is further hindered by the fact you can't see more than 6ft in front of you. The reviewer must have a future build if he was able to actually see much of the architecture to compliment it. The overall effect of exploration in WAR is that of walking home from the pub drunk at 2am, scared to look anywhere else but the ground in front of you. The bits that you do make out are unispired and the engine feels creakier than the DX7 Warcraft one"

Complete and absolute bollocks. The game engine is a wonderful mix of WoW and Everquest 2. Whilst the draw distance may not be as good as some might expect, it has not once even been something i've pondered in the game. If anything it actually contributes to an atmosphere of bleakness, especially from the Imperials perspective. Plus, this coming from someone who cites WoW as the goliath of MMORPGs, whos engine (whilst stylish) is appallingly basic. WAR is leagues ahead of WoW in this respect.


"The lore in this game is also badly implemented. You carry around a tome that fills up after you accomplish arbritrary things in game. Problem is, it's written about important NPCs and the history of the zone - the overall effect is 'what does this have to do with me?'. It leaves the player feeling rather alienated from what's going, and you'll probably ignore it after a short while, prefering just to grind in the incohesive world wherever you find yourself"

I'm not a massive Warhammer fan. I've got a little knowledge on the history but nowhere near enough to know everything thats going on. So far, my experience in-game (thus in Tome of Knowledge) has helped me understand the Imperial perspective and has also nicely introduced me to the creeping plagues being introduced to the farmlands by Chaos. Again, no problems whatsoever here and purely from a gameplay mechanic perspective, the Tome of Knowledge is a fantastic one-stop method of looking up everything you've done in the game. A gameplay mechanic that, I might add, you need to mod into existing MMORPGs. The fact that it updates as you progress, including a Bestiary, gives you a history of your progress which you can refer to at any time. To summarize, another pointless grudge.


"Elsewhere, WAR copys it's inspiration in a perfunctory manner, showing little inspiration outside the public quests (a great idea admittedly). It's a functional clone. It's not quite as pretty, it sounds a lot worse (the music is terrible), and it doesn't work quite as smoothly. Kinda like the 'soggy seconds' version of WoW. But it's the David to Blizzard's Goliath so it will no doubt attract a legion of fanboy defenders somehow thinking they are less mainstream by subbing to it"

Seriously, you need to get some perspective. WAR isn't even released yet and you're complaining it doesnt have all the spit and polish of a game thats been released for years?! Mythic will continue to build and develop all aspects of the game, just like other MMORPG developers have. If this is the quality of the game before its even been released, God only knows how it will improve from this point. I can see it going from strength to strength over the next 6 months. Additionally, whilst you lambast players for enjoying it you seem to be oblivious to the fact that we, the subscribers, can play more than one game or enjoy more than one game. For me, WoW has hit the limit of enjoyment. I've done both Horde and Alliance, hit 70 with multiple characters, got complete sets of PVP gear and have partaken in many Raids. I've had my fill. That's not to say that WoW is a poor game, just that i've hit the limit and until WotLK is out, there's no point me continuing. WAR has the potential to not only tide me over until WotLK but to even overtake WoW as my game of choice.


"My advice, wait till its in the bargain buckets, by which time this turd might be polished"

My advice, ignore this twat who blatantly has something against Mythic/WAR, as can be seen by what amounts to a crusade against the game, with poorly presented issues and fundamental inconsistencies in his arguments.

"From the very best (WoW, Guild Wars)"

Stopped reading right here as you obviously dont know what your talking about.

If you like PVP then WAR is the best game on the market.

@Stickman
Absolutely nothing
Uh-huh

But I see your point :)

"So I guess my own impressions of the game, after actually having a go, are null and void because of EGs review? Do you need a tinfoil hat? "

My post wasn't aimed exclusively at you George, that was a dig at EG's previous history with mmorpg reviews.

"Do not judge a MMORPG by its merits, purely from the release code perspective"

Actually I'll do exactly that, I'm being asked to pay NOW, so I will comment on the game in it's current state. I have a great idea for a noughts and crosses mmorpg, care to give me £8.99 a month towards development? Thought not.

"Umm, if I click to attack I see that my Warrior Priest swings his weapon and, y'know, attack. Not really understanding what the problem is here"

It's the speed of the attack animation, combined with the global cooldown, combined with the lack of strong/loud/vivid feedback effects. It basically makes the game feel unresponsive, even though the abilities are probably working fine, which encourages button mashing.

"The game engine is a wonderful mix of WoW and Everquest 2"

Everquest 2 had probably the worst graphics engine in PC gaming history, being built to take advantage of increasing speeds on single processors that never materialised; as well as some of the worst art direction ever. Of course we'll never agree on artistic merit, it's purely subjective. I'm right though.

"the Tome of Knowledge is a fantastic one-stop method of looking up everything you've done in the game"

If you actually read the background stuff it doesn't collect your own accomplishments, but just has a load of lore that could have been copied and pasted from a Warhammer rulebook. The title/accomplishments/quests are just the same trackers that previous mmorpgs have, shoehorned into the same area. It's cumbersome and dull.

"WAR isn't even released yet and you're complaining it doesnt have all the spit and polish of a game thats been released for years?! "

Yes, they both cost £8.99 per month.

"I've done both Horde and Alliance, hit 70 with multiple characters, got complete sets of PVP gear and have partaken in many Raids. I've had my fill."

You did better than me then, I admire WoW but the endgame is too time consuming for normal folks.

"ignore this twat"

It's been a pleasure George, please come again.

The biggest problem for me is that the classes, the combat and the loot are not as fun as in WoW. But now I will try the dwarf class to see how it works.

On the combat its not the 'feel' of it that bothers me. Its the;
-Button spam, I spent more time watching the cooldown than the combat
-Boring abilities, EG got it right they are not unique and just not as fun or as creative.
-Group play, in WoW when I am in a group everything changes, in WAR (so far) it really doesn't. In WoW when grouping I find that generally I use more skills and must pay more attention, in WAR its kind of the opposite.

@Gaol

"So I guess my own impressions of the game, after actually having a go, are null and void because of EGs review? Do you need a tinfoil hat? "
My post wasn't aimed exclusively at you George, that was a dig at EG's previous history with mmorpg reviews"

I realise this but your original post came across as 'Fuck you all, I know whats good and WAR isnt good, its shit' which is completely and utterly wrong. As I believe and as EG believes, even when basing a review off a pre-release, Beta, version of the game.


"Do not judge a MMORPG by its merits, purely from the release code perspective"
Actually I'll do exactly that, I'm being asked to pay NOW, so I will comment on the game in it's current state. I have a great idea for a noughts and crosses mmorpg, care to give me £8.99 a month towards development? Thought not"

Erm, you do realise that on release, WoW had less features than WAR has right now? So by that approach, what youre saying is that like for like, WAR actually comes out better than WoW? And no, your game sounds crap. Its based on a simple premise that has no method of improvement, whereas WAR is based on a complex premise of game mechanics and absolutely has potential to grow and expand into even better things.


"Umm, if I click to attack I see that my Warrior Priest swings his weapon and, y'know, attack. Not really understanding what the problem is here"
It's the speed of the attack animation, combined with the global cooldown, combined with the lack of strong/loud/vivid feedback effects. It basically makes the game feel unresponsive, even though the abilities are probably working fine, which encourages button mashing"

Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree. I click 'Bludgeon' and my Warrior Priest swings his great 2h hammer and fucking bludgeons the mob, replete with crunching noise and effects. If this is so much of an issue, as youre making out, i'd think that Mythic will address it. As someone has also pointed out on this thread, theres a patch due out tomorrow that addresses a lot of issues in the game, which this reviewer won't have appreciated.


"The game engine is a wonderful mix of WoW and Everquest 2"
Everquest 2 had probably the worst graphics engine in PC gaming history, being built to take advantage of increasing speeds on single processors that never materialised; as well as some of the worst art direction ever. Of course we'll never agree on artistic merit, it's purely subjective. I'm right though"

You must be joking?! Even now, EQ2 has one of the best, scalable, engines in the MMORPG market, which ive been able to experience on max settings (inc environmental shadows) for well over 6 months. Artistic style aside, of course. My advice? Get a new PC and stop convincing yourself that a P60 can still cut the mustard. I run WAR on max settings and it looks fucking gorgeous.


"the Tome of Knowledge is a fantastic one-stop method of looking up everything you've done in the game"
If you actually read the background stuff it doesn't collect your own accomplishments, but just has a load of lore that could have been copied and pasted from a Warhammer rulebook. The title/accomplishments/quests are just the same trackers that previous mmorpgs have, shoehorned into the same area. It's cumbersome and dull.

Why are you making out that a feature not even included in most (if not all) other MMORPGs is a bad thing? I think its fantastic that I can browse even just through the Bestiary and see what creatures ive encountered, so far. Seriously, how is having this in there worse than not having it? /2 WTB some logic for Gaol!


"WAR isn't even released yet and you're complaining it doesnt have all the spit and polish of a game thats been released for years?! "
Yes, they both cost £8.99 per month.

They do, this is true, but as MMORPG enthusiasts we all know and appreciate that they grow and get better with age. I'm sorry but for all your slagging off of the product, you should know this and understand how that fact fundamentally changes things. It comes down to this. Do I enjoy the game and is it worth 8.99/month? For me, WoW did but doesnt any longer. WAR absolutely now does.


"ignore this twat"
It's been a pleasure George, please come again"

I just did, on your WoW Nightelfs face! Ye heard me!

"your original post came across as 'Fuck you all, I know whats good and WAR isnt good, its shit' "

Hehe I shoulda just posted that for comedy, that would've been ace. I don't think its shit by a long shot, just mediocre and badly needing tightened up in certain areas.

"WAR is based on a complex premise of game mechanics"

What the fuck does that even mean?

"EQ2 has one of the best, scalable, engines in the MMORPG market"

Ehm no, it's heavily cpu dependant and only addresses one core; that's a whole other issue.

"Get a new PC and stop convincing yourself that a P60 can still cut the mustard"

I have that accusation thrown every time I criticize an mmorpg. I run a WAR on max with a great frame rate (640mb 8800gts) and it still looks shit for the most part.

"Why are you making out that a feature not even included in most (if not all) other MMORPGs is a bad thing?"

I want to play a game, not read a book. I'd prefer the devs to build the content and story directly into the player experience rather than append it on in a book. LoTRO does this well. I accept it's not WAR's main selling point though.

"as MMORPG enthusiasts we all know and appreciate that they grow and get better with age"

You never played SWG...

"Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree."

No shit.

Can I just add: the graphics allegedly aren't as they are going to be in retail. Certainly not with regards to customisability.

Also, pretty much every observation you've made is null Gaol. Back to WoW, where you can get all the 'feedback' you like from your attacks...

@Gaol

"your original post came across as 'Fuck you all, I know whats good and WAR isnt good, its shit' "
Hehe I shoulda just posted that for comedy, that would've been ace. I don't think its shit by a long shot, just mediocre and badly needing tightened up in certain areas.

Why would that have been 'ace'? Congrats, you've just made everyone aware of what your actual agenda is. Now progress further onto why you have some kind of hatred for Mythic and we'll finally get to the bottom of why you have this crusade going.


"WAR is based on a complex premise of game mechanics"
What the fuck does that even mean?

No need to be pedantic, mate. Just because I blew your 'noughts and crosses' MMORPG analogy out of the water. To be clear, however, I will absolutely support any developer who has a good release like WAR, about to go retail. I've got no issue giving them 3-6 paid months to turn major problems around, providing the vanilla release is in good shape. As WAR absolutely is. Its games like Vanguard that deserve our hatred, purely because SOE wont invest in development even when continuing to charge the same amount per month.


"EQ2 has one of the best, scalable, engines in the MMORPG market"
Ehm no, it's heavily cpu dependant and only addresses one core; that's a whole other issue"

Then I guess my PC and my eyes are misreporting what i'm seeing, because single core or not (whatever thats got to do with it) EQ2 does have one of the most scalable and detailed engines of any MMORPG to date. Fact, whether you like it or not.
And anyway, my point about WAR being like a WoW/EQ2 mix was purely down to aspects of each of those games that make them stand out. WAR has WoW-like style and flavor with EQ2s more detailed aspects, in terms of character and mob models.


"Get a new PC and stop convincing yourself that a P60 can still cut the mustard"
I have that accusation thrown every time I criticize an mmorpg. I run a WAR on max with a great frame rate (640mb 8800gts) and it still looks shit for the most part"

Suureee, you do. I have LOTS of screenshots that render this statement completely null and void, as do comments by workmates who've seen them. You are very bitter at something to do with Mythic/WAR and I wish you'd just let everyone in on it, so we can see what your actual beef is.


"Why are you making out that a feature not even included in most (if not all) other MMORPGs is a bad thing?"
I want to play a game, not read a book. I'd prefer the devs to build the content and story directly into the player experience rather than append it on in a book. LoTRO does this well. I accept it's not WAR's main selling point though"

Then don't fucking read it! Seriously, if this is what you call a 'major gripe' with a game that not even properly released yet, you have serious issues.


"Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree."
No shit"

And so teh internets continues. Opinions and arseholes, etc.

Doesn't read like a game I'd like very much, certainly not for a long stretch of time. I'm more of a PvE guy. Plus I'm too heavily invested in WoW and its lore (yes, lorenerd) to play this. Also, Age of Conan pretty much made me never want to play a launch MMO ever again.

More WoW? No thanks, 3 months was enough. It was a bloody good 3 months though.

@dudefella

"Doesn't read like a game I'd like very much, certainly not for a long stretch of time. I'm more of a PvE guy. Plus I'm too heavily invested in WoW and its lore (yes, lorenerd) to play this. Also, Age of Conan pretty much made me never want to play a launch MMO ever again"

Well, from what i've seen so far, PvE runs completely alongside the PvP aspects of the game. I levelled to 13 purely on PvE quests, which was just as entertaining as WoW, with some wonderful quest dialogue.

In terms of Lore, the Warhammer universe blows the Warcraft universe out of the water by a massive margin. Warhammer was up and running in tabletop RPG form long before the Warcraft RTS games were even released. There are masses of literature and novels available and even from my limited exposure, its clear that WoW leeched from the Warhammer universe, from the offset. You have to remember, Warcraft lore expanded from the games, whereas Warhammer lore was introduced via a long established universe. Ultimately, Warhammer has the potential to grow and grow based on this, whereas you'll see things stuffed into Warcraft as and when it suits the purposes of the game.

All IMO, of course. Apart from the established Warhammer universe, where there's no argument whatsoever.

This review is pointless. Most of the gripes are based on underpopulation. Gee I wonder why it's underpopulated, maybe because the game isn't even OUT YET?!

As for the annoying but inevitable WoW comparisons, this game both looks and sounds so much better. The weapon sounds and the grunts and yells blow WoW out of the water and the graphics are beyond anything in WoW, understandably so, and from the sounds of it they will be adding high res textures for release. No point in putting them in a beta you have to download and will only be playing for a couple weeks. The character design is incredible by comparison, I went back and looked at WoW after this and it looks like a joke. The armor design is so much better as well. Warrior priests actually wear real armor compared to WoW's banana paladins or crystals glued to a power ranger suit gear. The dye system is very cool.

Guilds will thrive and this game and everything will be so much better for it. Obviously no one is going to put in time to organize a guild or much organization into anything right now because again, this is BETA. These characters will be wiped in a week, what's the point? Everyone is just jumping in, messing around and having fun testing things out.

The class mechanics are awesome. Healers being rewarded for doing damage? What other game has that? Good players will find the ins and outs of their classes and will develop a lot of unique play styles. I don't think it's fair to say they are not unique enough.

This game takes the bullshit out of MMOs that are only put in to waste your time so you'll end up paying more money in the long run. Having a 2 minute downtime to sit and drink after every single mob, yawn. Grinding in general, yawn. You can get extra exp from rvr, so what's the point of grinding? Even if you do want to grind, you can grind public quests for influence and loot. No more standing around for 4 hours looking for a group for a 10 minute quest that just can't be soloed. In WoW I got so sick of raiding...spending hours getting 40 people together, always having a couple never show up on time, having to spend another hour waiting for everyone to get their shit together, get in the instance and buff then practice killing the same boss day after day, week after week, yawn. Glad there's so much loot from rvr. Rvr actually matters in this game and sieges will be epic. This game points out all the things WoW does wrong. The craft grinding, don't even get me started.

Only things I wished were improved in this game, which I'm sure will be, are bug fixes, more PvE content (more small instances rather than huge annoying sucky raids) and some more fun crafting professions. Other than that this is by far the largest and most complete MMO at launch. My only concern is that there might be too much loot and high level loot will be too easy to obtain, but we'll see how that goes. Would have given this game a 9/10 personally. Don't let this review turn you off, this game like all MMOs needs some time to mature.

Playing beta. Fucking great.

But damn, i hate the "Target is not Attackable" bug.

Doesn't read like a game I'd like very much, certainly not for a long stretch of time. I'm more of a PvE guy. Plus I'm too heavily invested in WoW and its lore (yes, lorenerd) to play this. Also, Age of Conan pretty much made me never want to play a launch MMO ever again.

Exactly how I feel.

I do however grateful that EG reviewed this game now rather than later. It saves me money and gives me a pieceful mind for not thinking I am missing a great game.