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Game Review Central
EVERQUEST REVIEW
Ok, so I've heard all about Everquest and how addicting it is.. little did I know that all of the hype was true. Anyways, I walk into the local Target one day, and find EverQuest (EQ for short) for a mere $6.90. What do I do, I pick it up of course =D
It took me 3 days to decide wheter or not I wanted to spend the money and keep it. I'm glad I did.
Basics: EQ is an Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG for short), which means you're in a massive gameworld online with other human players. You can interact with these players, grouping up, trading, selling, helping, you can do most anything with these people. Its set in a middle-age era, a fantasy middle-age era. That means certain classes can cast spells and fight with a sword, while other classes can only weild weapons, but better than casters (ones who use magic).
Gameplay: ^10^ Very, very addicting. I don't know what It is, but there is something always making you want to go back for more. Maybe its the idea of leveling up, or getting more money to buy that piece of armor you have wanted, whatever it is, I can't stop playing. The main steps r simple... find a NPC (non playing character) such as a skeleton, spider, bat etc and start fighting him. Once you get all of his hit points down, he will die. You can then loot the corpse, and take any items they had to either sell, use, or discard. Casters can buff you (make stats temporarily higher) so you have a better chance of survival. And speaking of survival.. well, survival is a difficult task. If you're smart (and I hope you are) you will only pick fights with NPC's your own level or lower, DO NOT attack someone who is red in comparison unless there is a group of you attacking. If you happen to die, you will respawn where you are bound (usually a city), and you m! ust find your body and loot it within a certain time, otherwise you're screwed. While some may think this a lil bit much, its actually good, because it teaches you survival is a must, and knowing where you are at all times is also vital. You can also buy/upgrade your weapons, armor, rings, earrings, and more to improve your stats.
Graphics: ^7^ Not outstanding, not bad.. its from 1999, so you imagine what its like. It does get old, yes, but the gameplay makes up for it. *note: it doesn't detract from gameplay IMO, but you decide* There are some minor clipping problems, but what game doesn't have those problems ?
Sound: ^7^ Magic spells sound good, sword slashing, animal growls, pain yells, battle music.. its all there, and done very nicely. Not digital sounding, just good.
Presentation:^6^ It came in a jewel case with measly manual, but its enough to get you started. The full manual is online according to them, but I haven't looked at it yet. Its easy to get started, just sign up with an account then go into a server and make you player and your set. A lil bit hard to get hang of, but after an hour of trial and error, you will be hooked.
Lasting Value: ^10^Gaw its friggin addictive, I have logged around 50 hours and have no intention of slowing down any time soon. Buy this game, Its worth all 1000 pennies it cost to play a month (that means it costs 10 a month for server fees and maintence.)
Overall: ^9.5^ Its soo worth it, fun, inclusive, user friendly, everything a guy could want in a game
MOTOR CITY ONLINE BETA REVIEW
Basics
Motor City Online (MCO), the first persistant online racing world. You create your own character, buy a car, upgrade your car, and race through multiple racing environments and types. Visiting locations from Pop's Malt Shop to the Red Light Motel in the process of trading deals and meeting other racers online. Racing Clubs are formed, and Turf Wars are periodically held on the race tracks, where the winning club can claim that area as their turf. Similarily, Top Dog competetions are held to see who the top racer on the track is. For each race you win, you are awarded a certain amount of money and points. The more money you get the more stuff you can get to upgrade your car, the more points you get the more levels you gain, the more level ups you get you eventually gain a new rank, for every rank you get along comes a huge paycheck bonus. You're also awarded a weekly salary, whom's amount is chosen depending on what level you're on. Auto Parts Auctions are held at Sparky T's and Auto Auctions are held at everywhere from Original GM to the U-Sell Auto Barn. The current monthly price looks like it's going to be $4.99 a month for server maintenance and fees.
The difficulty level for MCO is varied, depending on whether or not you're an auto freak for the most part. Anybody who knows a little bit about cars should be able to hop right in and figure out what all the auto parts do, and anybody who's played an auto racing game should be able to hop right into the racing aspect of the game. A good word of advise, is get a joystick, or preferably a driving wheel if you plan on buying this game, if you try this with a keyboard you're in for a lotta stress.
The learning curve is also varied, the racing part is a snap. If you have a wheel, turn it left you go left, turn it right you go right. If you have a joystick, push it left you go left, push it right you go right. In other words, it's fairly simple. It can take up to a couple days to get used to all the parts and the auction system though.
MCO has not been rated yet, but I would recommend it for pre-teens and up. Some of the 70's music titles aren't the best in the world, and there's the always present problem of a chat room in online games. Luckily, MCO designers implemented an ultra sensitive customizable chat filter so that shouldn't be a problem. Although citizens line the sidewalks in street racing, a system was introduced much like Crazy Taxi where it's impossible to run them over as they always jump out of the way in the nick of time, despite their screams of terror. There is a slight amount of gambling introduced in the street racing mode, where you have to put in money to enter an open race, or you may 'gamble' your car by racing for pink slips.
Review to be continued soon!
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