Anarchy Online for Windows
- Publisher: Deep Silver
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Platform: Windows
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YES, this is pre-release, so I don't have ALL the answers...UPDATED 6/30/01
Pros
Mad Max type MMORPG......
Cons
Not released yet so not sure exactly how it will work
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Find it as soon as possible in the store - you won't be disappointed.
OK, this is the original review I wrote about the game in it's pre-release form, but I now have more information to add at the end....I'll separate the old info from the New Info at the bottom.
------------------------------------------------------------
11/8/00
About a year ago, I was working overnights doing tech support, and being understandable bored, my friend and I started surfing for upcoming games. Well, we found one that we kinda latched onto, and as time marches on it keeps looking better and better.
The general storyline of the game is that it is 30,000 years in the future (or is it 20,000? - does it matter exactly how many?) and the evil corporation OMNI-Tech rules the planet of Rubi-Ka. Sounds cool already, right? Greed, Power, Corruption...pretty cool stuff.
BUT, it gets better. As the evil corporation is ruling the planet, there are groups of rebel clans that live outside the cities that are trying to overtake OMNI-Tech and end their tyrannical rule of the planet. (sounds impressive, huh?)
Then, there is a third group that I take much pride in. These are the Neutrals. This started mainly as a joke between a friend and myself on the Anarchy Online Bulletin Board. We decided that we did not want to take either side, we were just going to steal stuff and sell it to whoever we wanted to. Well, the idea caught on and now there is quite a following of people who want to be Neutral Traders.
Basically, this is going to be a Mad Max type MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, or something to that effect). The game play is going to be quite a lot like Everquest (if you have ever played EQ you will know what I mean) as far as the graphics, how the screen will be set up, and the leveling system. But the main difference between EQ and AO is that in EQ you are like an elf or a troll or other such gay characters and it is all fantasy, but in AO you will just be a human type character (with different body sizes and types) and will have machine guns and shotguns and things of that sort. Pretty sweet concept.
I have been watching the development of this game almost as long as anyone else, and from what I have seen it is going to be smokin'. It won Best Online Game at E3 (the software convention for upcoming games) this year, and that was when it was still in Alpha Phase of the development.
As of right now, 11/8/00, the game is in Phase 2 of the closed Beta test, so it has not even been opened up for Beta Testing in the US yet. The only problem is that everyone who I have met while hanging around the Anarchy Online Web Site who have made it into the first stages of the Beta Test are not allowed to talk about it, so I have no idea how the game is actually working. But soon, oh, yes, SOON, it shall be released to the general masses...
If you are interested in learning more, go to www.anarchy-online.com and you will be able to look at the screen shots and get much more detailed information about the game.
------------------------------------------------------------
6/30/01
OK, that was my view of the game 7 months ago before I had ever actually seen it. Since then I was involved in Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the Beta test, and as far as I know it was released 3 days ago although I haven't seen it in any stores yet.
My initial analysis of the game was pretty much right on the money - this is DEFINTIELY the best online game at this time. It combines the fun of a MMORPG with Mad Max and Bladerunner. I must say it is definitely more fun to blow aliens apart with a solar powered sub machine gun than it is to hack apart dragons with a sword...it is just cooler.
OK, the game runs quite a bit like Everquest. When you gain levels you get experience points that you can use to increase your abilities. The only thing I didn't like about the skill system that I think was done better in Everquest is that in EQ your abilities increased in certain skills as you used them as well as gaining experience points that you could put into whichever skills you wanted to, but with AO you do not increase your skill unless you spend your experience points on that skill. To me it makes more sense for your character to gain points in a skill as you use that skill - kind of a practice makes perfect concept.
Oh, well, moving right along...
The Graphics are absolutely breathtaking, really they are. I am not sure what else to say about that except that you really just have to see them to understand what I mean. It takes Everquest and moves it to the next level, and then adds laser guns - how cool is that?
I definitely like the way that the level system is set up, though. Basically there are two ways to gain levels in Anarchy Online. You can either (1) Go out of town and kill monsters and gain experience like that, or (2) Go on missions to gain Credits ($$) and Experience. The missions are really cool the way they are set up, because there is a mission generator where you can either just choose a difficulty level and the game generates everything else for you, or you can choose what type of mission you want. You can choose good or evil, open or hidden, money or experience, order or chaos, and there are a couple more that I can't remember right off the top of my head, but you get the point. You then will earn Credits, Experience Points, and sometimes equipment for completing your mission, whether it is to assassinate someone, find something, etc.
I like this level system because you don't HAVE to go out and fight monsters outside of town in order to gain levels. It seems to work pretty well either way, because my friend who Beta Tested the game with me basically spent his time running missions and I killed monsters, and we stayed pretty close to the same level for the same amount of time played. The only difference is that he got a lot more really cool weapons and equipment from running the missions, so that was kinda a drag.
Basically, to make a long story short, I do have information about the game now, so those criticisms are no longer valid about this review. I definitely recommend this game to anyone interested in MMORPG's - get in on it now while it is new before there are piles of level 1000 guys running around killing you with one hit just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time - that is the death of all good online games in my personal opinion. Personally, I would rather get in on the ground floor and be one of the level 1000 guys who helps out the new people...
But anyway, this game will DEFINITELY addict you so make sure to kiss the wife and kids goodbye, cause you will start playing this game and next thing your cute little baby will be leaving for college and you won't know what happened!!
------------------------------------------------------------
11/8/00
About a year ago, I was working overnights doing tech support, and being understandable bored, my friend and I started surfing for upcoming games. Well, we found one that we kinda latched onto, and as time marches on it keeps looking better and better.
The general storyline of the game is that it is 30,000 years in the future (or is it 20,000? - does it matter exactly how many?) and the evil corporation OMNI-Tech rules the planet of Rubi-Ka. Sounds cool already, right? Greed, Power, Corruption...pretty cool stuff.
BUT, it gets better. As the evil corporation is ruling the planet, there are groups of rebel clans that live outside the cities that are trying to overtake OMNI-Tech and end their tyrannical rule of the planet. (sounds impressive, huh?)
Then, there is a third group that I take much pride in. These are the Neutrals. This started mainly as a joke between a friend and myself on the Anarchy Online Bulletin Board. We decided that we did not want to take either side, we were just going to steal stuff and sell it to whoever we wanted to. Well, the idea caught on and now there is quite a following of people who want to be Neutral Traders.
Basically, this is going to be a Mad Max type MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, or something to that effect). The game play is going to be quite a lot like Everquest (if you have ever played EQ you will know what I mean) as far as the graphics, how the screen will be set up, and the leveling system. But the main difference between EQ and AO is that in EQ you are like an elf or a troll or other such gay characters and it is all fantasy, but in AO you will just be a human type character (with different body sizes and types) and will have machine guns and shotguns and things of that sort. Pretty sweet concept.
I have been watching the development of this game almost as long as anyone else, and from what I have seen it is going to be smokin'. It won Best Online Game at E3 (the software convention for upcoming games) this year, and that was when it was still in Alpha Phase of the development.
As of right now, 11/8/00, the game is in Phase 2 of the closed Beta test, so it has not even been opened up for Beta Testing in the US yet. The only problem is that everyone who I have met while hanging around the Anarchy Online Web Site who have made it into the first stages of the Beta Test are not allowed to talk about it, so I have no idea how the game is actually working. But soon, oh, yes, SOON, it shall be released to the general masses...
If you are interested in learning more, go to www.anarchy-online.com and you will be able to look at the screen shots and get much more detailed information about the game.
------------------------------------------------------------
6/30/01
OK, that was my view of the game 7 months ago before I had ever actually seen it. Since then I was involved in Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the Beta test, and as far as I know it was released 3 days ago although I haven't seen it in any stores yet.
My initial analysis of the game was pretty much right on the money - this is DEFINTIELY the best online game at this time. It combines the fun of a MMORPG with Mad Max and Bladerunner. I must say it is definitely more fun to blow aliens apart with a solar powered sub machine gun than it is to hack apart dragons with a sword...it is just cooler.
OK, the game runs quite a bit like Everquest. When you gain levels you get experience points that you can use to increase your abilities. The only thing I didn't like about the skill system that I think was done better in Everquest is that in EQ your abilities increased in certain skills as you used them as well as gaining experience points that you could put into whichever skills you wanted to, but with AO you do not increase your skill unless you spend your experience points on that skill. To me it makes more sense for your character to gain points in a skill as you use that skill - kind of a practice makes perfect concept.
Oh, well, moving right along...
The Graphics are absolutely breathtaking, really they are. I am not sure what else to say about that except that you really just have to see them to understand what I mean. It takes Everquest and moves it to the next level, and then adds laser guns - how cool is that?
I definitely like the way that the level system is set up, though. Basically there are two ways to gain levels in Anarchy Online. You can either (1) Go out of town and kill monsters and gain experience like that, or (2) Go on missions to gain Credits ($$) and Experience. The missions are really cool the way they are set up, because there is a mission generator where you can either just choose a difficulty level and the game generates everything else for you, or you can choose what type of mission you want. You can choose good or evil, open or hidden, money or experience, order or chaos, and there are a couple more that I can't remember right off the top of my head, but you get the point. You then will earn Credits, Experience Points, and sometimes equipment for completing your mission, whether it is to assassinate someone, find something, etc.
I like this level system because you don't HAVE to go out and fight monsters outside of town in order to gain levels. It seems to work pretty well either way, because my friend who Beta Tested the game with me basically spent his time running missions and I killed monsters, and we stayed pretty close to the same level for the same amount of time played. The only difference is that he got a lot more really cool weapons and equipment from running the missions, so that was kinda a drag.
Basically, to make a long story short, I do have information about the game now, so those criticisms are no longer valid about this review. I definitely recommend this game to anyone interested in MMORPG's - get in on it now while it is new before there are piles of level 1000 guys running around killing you with one hit just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time - that is the death of all good online games in my personal opinion. Personally, I would rather get in on the ground floor and be one of the level 1000 guys who helps out the new people...
But anyway, this game will DEFINITELY addict you so make sure to kiss the wife and kids goodbye, cause you will start playing this game and next thing your cute little baby will be leaving for college and you won't know what happened!!
