Preview: Warhammer Online - AOR

Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (2008)
Developer: Mythic Entertainment
Platform: Personal Computer
Scheduled Launch Date: 09/18/2008

Apparently the closed beta was only opened to the illiterate.

As much as I hate World of Warcraft - it started out as love until it eventually became disgust - it is overall the most playable and the most polished of all the massively-multiplayer online games I have ever played, which include Everquest II, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Final Fantasy XI Online, Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, Guild Wars, City of Heroes/Villains, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar. It is with great dismay then that I have to add Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (WAR) to that list of inferior MMOs. Still, let it be known that Mythic's attempt to overthrow Blizzard's monster from its throne is much appreciated because they did come up with a game that is highly enjoyable. The biggest problem with WAR is that it is specifically tailored to the lowest common denominator in the most extreme fashion.

A cool summon... Post pwnage.

The amount of classes to choose from is mighty impressive. There are three different races under each of the Order and the Destruction alignment and then there are distinct classes that are unique only to each race. This creates a sense of identity and a clear separation between the races unlike anything I have ever seen in a MMO before. Each of the classes within the races even have their own unique character models and animations to further heighten the distinctions. If you ever played WoW during its earlier days, do you remember how unique the Shaman and the Paladin classes were because only one side of the alignment can play each before Blizzard went nuts and destroyed that illusion? Now imagine that sense of identity on a much larger scale and you get WAR. This grand design would have worked better if Mythic didn't succumb to laziness: some of the classes play alike! For example, the Empire's Bright Wizard and the Dark Elf's Sorceress are carbon copies of each other except for the fact that the former is fire-based and the latter is cold-based. Having played both characters, they get the same kind of spells and strategically play exactly the same. This is utterly disappointing and it defeats the very purpose of having the racial classes setup to begin with.

It's about time that the priest classes get some real action in battle.

Since WAR is Realm vs. Realm focused, even at level 1, those who crave for some bloodletting can queue up to join a battleground against the opposing alignment easily by a simple click of a button wherever he or she may be located at that time. After the battle is over, the player is transported back to the exact spot where the player was before participating. I found this to be very convenient and it became my main source of experience grinding. Those who prefer to progress through a more adventurous mean can complete quests received at the quest hubs. Depending on your commitment to video gaming immersions, you may find the questing dull because there is hardly any feeling of discovery associated in completing them since all the quest goals are specifically highlighted on the map. Then there are the "Public Quests" where a bunch of random people can participate in a repeating scenario for experience and loot. Though fun, support classes will often find themselves shafted from reaching the top contributors list thus having no real opportunity to ever get the sought-after rewards.

Only your character has real time shadow...

Graphically, the game is very disappointing. Though the character models have a mature look to them, the technology that supports the entire game seems to be more ancient that the one found in WoW. After maxing out all the available options, the texture resolutions are still blurry and the view distance is alarmingly short. There also seem to be a shortage of new armor pieces, making the grind towards the next level feels slower than it should be.

Yes, low resolution skies in a 2008 game... Lame.

With the way things are at the moment, I have decided not to pick up the game anytime soon. Perhaps WAR just need a lot more time to get to where it should be. Mythic's battle plan seems to involve making things SIMPLER than how things are in WoW and this translated into a product that will surely attract a large number of people who like to get their rewards quick and easy even if it means that there are nothing meaningful or long lasting about those rewards.

FIRST IMPRESSION: 3 out of 5