| Rift [Download] Posted: What to say about Rift? Is it beautiful? Yes. Is it fun? Amazingly so! Is it different? Both yes, and no.
Visuals and Sound:
Are you tired of cartoony graphics that stress your video cards but don't really look all that good? I know I was! World of Warcraft knock offs abound these days, and I have gotten sick and tired of the same graphics every time I try a new game. I remember buying Age of Conan and being wowed by the graphics, why has it taken so long for another game to follow suit?
Well the wait for amazing graphics is over! Rift's graphics are on par or better than any other MMO out there. Everything is very "realistic" (in quotes because it is a fantasy world). Water looks like water, spell effects are top notch, and this is all done without stressing my 2 year old computer too much.
The sound quality is very rich. Yes, it can be a bit repetitive. A sword hitting a shield can only sound so many different ways. I do wish there was a bit of differention in the combat music but oh well. That is a minor gripe. Speaking of music: it is a mix of World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, depending on the area. I loved GW's music and am glad to see that someone else picked up on this style.
Gameplay:
If you've played an MMO recently, then you know how battles go. You hit your predefined buttons until either you or the enemy dies. What makes this game different is the range of skills you have available even very early in the game.
Speaking of skills: You do not just pull from one specific class (or soul as they call it). You can use up to 3 souls at a time. Yes, the three you are using are fairly similar in purpose, but the function is completely different!... By mixing the souls and purchasing their abilities how YOU choose, your characters can be very different even from someone else using the same 3 souls.
You can also change "Roles" on the fly. These are like Talent Builds in WoW. You can use any souls that you have available on different roles. I currently have a Tank role and a DPS role on my Warrior. This makes it much easier to make sure you are playing the right character for the job.
But is it "Just another MMO"?
Game play can be divided into a few areas: Open world grinding, Open world rifts, Dungeons, PVP.
PvP: This is done similar to other titles. There are battlegrounds with specific objectives. These are instanced and can either be really fast, or take a long time depending on the teams. PVP can also happen in Open World. Both reward you with points that can be spent on gear.
Grinding: Unfortunately, the quest grind is pretty much here to stay. At least it is very story driven in Rift. I do think they have you running around a bit too much, but this keeps the areas fresh and interesting, so I was pretty much ok with it once I got my mount (about level 15).
Rifts: This is a blast! You get another type of currency for closing Rifts and defeating "Footholds" in the open world. Every so often there is a major incursion which takes a large group to defeat. These are so much fun, everyone turns out to defeat the invasions from the rifts, and I always stop and close any Minor Rifts I find (it takes a small group to close a Major Rift). Footholds can easily be defeated in a couple of minutes by one person, depending on their level.
Dungeons: Pretty much your standard group of 5: 1 tank, 3 dps, a healer. So far the dungeons are a little shorter than some other games, but are still challenging and offer nice rewards. Definitely worth the time and effort!
Overall: I will definitely be playing this game a lot for the foreseeable future! The mix of Guild Wars, World of Warcraft, and Age of Conan is the perfect mix in my opinion. Finally, a gaming company learned from the mistakes of others and made very few of their own! |
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