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AC 2 is a 1st Generation MMPORG, Nothing New Here

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: October 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First off, I have tested the Beta extensively and played DAOC, EQ, and AC 1. AC 2 is is NOTHING at all like AC 1. I would say it's more along the lines of EQ and DAOC, but with alot less features. Why Turbine took such a great game in AC 1 and made it a stripped down version of their competitors' games is beyond me. The developers themselves have apparently failed to learn a single lesson from all the time they spent on AC 1. They have reverted back to implementing tedium after tedium after spending years in AC 1 of removing it.

Sure, it is still beta as of today (10/16/02) but there were some very poor decisions regarding the core of the game. Most notably the combat system is lacking in any sort of imagination. Gone are the days of feeling like a hero in AC 1, fighting mobs and mobs of critters. Expect most of your time in AC 2 barely being able to fight 1 creature then wait while you regen health and vigor (mana). I can live with limited quests, armor and weapons at first because I know full well that Turbine has a great track record of adding content each month.

There is no doubt that AC 2 is the best looking game I have ever seen. But so much more is needed from an MMPORG where you are expected to live in a fantasy world. There is a total lack of immersion, tools that will enable you to play a part in an allegiance as well as nothing to help the player build a player economy (I.E. no trade chat channels, no player run vendors and no secure storage. The Developer's have already stated that there will not be player run vendors and secure storage for quite some time. Note that secure storage was added to the original AC two years after it was released).

There are so many things fundamentally wrong about the game in it's present state and it has been stated by the Developers themselves that what we are playing now is pretty much the final build. Combat is relatively boring, although there are hundreds of skills, only a handful are useful, the UI is awful and not customizable, loot system is unimaginative and worthless, pets do not work properly, there are no distinct chat channels, in game map is clunky to work with, you have to keep too many windows open and the game play itself is way over-simplified.

Character creation itself is very simple. You simply pick a race, gender and customize how you want to look from a limited selection of choices. You can untrain skills, which is good because there is absolutely no documentation about what each skill does. In a given skill tree, there are numerous Area of Effect skills, but you have no idea how much damage each one does, how much vigor they consume, etc. You also do not know at character creation what skills are available to you for your chosen race. Expect to re-roll until you find a race that has a skill set you like. There are melee users, missle users and mages. But, there are no "spells" they are all skills. Mages don't have to cast spells, they can just auto attack without using mana. In a simplified form, I can understand why Turbine (the developers) decided to institute the skill tree, because it would, theoretically, be much easier to balance game play. However, as of this time, there is NOTHING in the way of balance, with melee characters coming out on the bottom of the totem pole by far. Also, it doesn't matter which race you pick, as all will have the same attributes for their entire lifetime (strength, coordination, etc) and have the exact same health and vigor levels at each level (a Lugian Melee will have just as much health and vigor as a Human Mage of the same level). Player vs Player and Kingdom vs Kingdom combat have yet to go through an extensive test phase, so expect many months of balancing issues here.

There is nothing revolutionary about this game at all. The game is nothing more than a pretty graphical engine. It is totally appalling that they are about to release this game in a few weeks time with such glaring issues at hand. AC2 is relatively stable for me however, so that is a good thing.

Summary: Wait at least 6 months for people who are paying to play the game to do more "beta testing". Come back when the bugs are hopefully ironed out and the game is a bit more immersive.

Asheron's Call all hype no fun

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: October 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you liked AC1 (which was my favorite game for over 2 years) AC2 is a let down.

Stick with AC1 and let this Dark Age of Camelot clone go by.

Game is fun but be ready for bugs!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 23, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is a lot of fun but is extremely buggy! I have played Everquest for one year and played AC2 for one month now, and have had more program errors/bugs/system server errors with AC2 in one month than my one year on Everquest. Tis a fun game but still needs much work.

Game is fun, but unbalanced and laggy

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: January 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you don't like negative reviews, quit reading here now! I'm serious - go to the next review. If you want to hear about a player's experiences after playing a month of the game, read on...

Asheron's Call 2 has alot going for it. A great history and story, and monthly content updates that keep the game fresh. Player customization is extensive and the world is big enough that you can go places and not see anyone else or overcrowding.
I've been playing the game for about a month now and have enjoyed playing it (when it is 'playable'). Grouping options are very well done, and the integrated storyline with the game (via the occasional exploration of vaults, or the many numerous quests) draws you into the story of Ahseron's Call.

However, some serious issues exist with the game that make it feel like it wasn't adequately tested. Occasional server crashes will dump you out of the game, and cause a loss of any experience or goodies you may have accumulated since the server last saved your character. Sometimes only parts of the game don't work correctly, such as failures in the chat system, or portions of the game world failing to work correctly. Lag is a serious issue with this game, and the game client (your computer) doesn't like it when a packet is lost or data is slowed. I am on a cable modem and have played (and am playing) multiple online games and have never had a problem with lag, but about half the time I play in AC2, there is some portion of the game engine that is laggy. Lag will manifest itself in AC2 as very slow frame rates to complete computer lockups. Your heart will just sink when your in a major battle and the game 'locks' as it waits for some data from the server. There are times when your don't want to examine things in the game, because examining stuff may lock the game up (sometimes for up to half a minute) while it is waiting for data from the server.

Some areas of the game could of been better thought out and balanced. The looting system especially leaves alot to be desired. When you kill a creature, you have to pick up the loot from the creature one item at a time. Coupled with the examination and item issues listed above, it can sometimes take forever just to pick up a few items off a dead creature. Several player classes in the game are very popular, while some of the classes are completely ignored or underpowered. An example is the Lugian Tactician - this class is way overused and overpowerful in the game. I expect Turbine will be doing a rebalancing act on some of the characters soon. Expect to see a few specific character types in the game at the higher levels.

I have temporarily cancelled my account with Turbine until they can get some of the more serious issues here fixed. If you want to buy this game, I'd proceed with caution. As player load increases, these issues will probably only get worse. In most MMORPGs, the game isn't fully ironed out until a few months after release. Maybe after a few more patches and a few more months, Turbine might get the balance of the game right and the nagging technical issues resolved.

Asheron's call 2 review after month and a half play time

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: June 17, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I have played this game on both my husband and my computers by network and at first it was really great looking. Nice graphics, which really draws you to the game. But a month later, my husband and I both have a lvl 32, 16 and 22 character and the lvl cap is still at only 50 for last 8 months since game was released. Quest content is very limited and they have a patch every month that totally changes your character so you have to put skill pts back into a different class if you don't like the changes they make to the characters like spells etc. This month they totally nerfed the Defender class and took away it's vigor heal which makes it better to solo creatures. I play a ranger, which now they will be taking dual wielding away from this class and replacing that with traps, some good that will do them. This game is very limited and they try to put new content in every month to spice things up, and there isn't very much new and from the sounds of things this patch, the changes are not good. We just purchased this game but now I think we will be quitting and waiting for Everquest 2 in November, as we have already experienced Everquest 1, if it's anything like EQ1, like I hear, it is going to knock your socks off. Please stay away from this waste of money and get EQ2, you won't be sorry!

This game is a Major dissapointment.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 12
Date: October 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This thing is a content nightmare, the graphics are quite nice but the game content is horrible. After 2 weeks of game play you will have wished you never bought the game...

The Game is Outstanding

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: October 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have read so much negative feedback about AC2..Even worse
people going to message boards and "asking" people to come
and give this game a bad rating..
"So don't believe everything you see and read in ratings"

I have played both AC1 & AC2 since beta...granted there was
some bugs and misc. problems, but overall the game has improved
greatly over the run of beta.
And being a long time fan and player of AC1 I know that Turbine
has what it takes to make this game a true success.

I have played several MMORPG's and AC2 is and truly will be
one unique game..

If you haven't played..or quit beta early on..I suggest you
give the game another chance.
It has beautiful graphics, and is truly a blast to play.

And don't rely on the rating here as people are purposely making
it look bad!

Take these ratings with a grain of salt...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: November 17, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Folks reading these reviews should be aware that there was a concerted effort by a gamer on one of the public AC2 forums to try and destroy AC2's rating here. This is undeserved and reflects the maturity level of the reviewer, not necessarily honest opinions about the game.

Most of these folks complaining about lack of content don't even remember the release of AC1 and the sparse amount of content that existed at that stage. Over the years, through /monthly/ updates Turbine has done a fantastic job of bringing new content to the players, and it's content players want- they have a great record of listening to their fans, and improving the game accordingly. Hence, you should expect no less in AC2. The first update is scheduled for shortly after release, and if you head over to the official site, you'll see that they have a lot of neat things planned.

Most of the positive reviewers have said what I would about the game. The game engine has a ton of potential, and the graphics are stunning. The skill system is diablo-esque. Will I long for the excitement of combat AC1 style? Maybe, but I have more options than I did there. The fauna is novel and unique. Turbine has introduced a Kingdom vs. Kingdom element, and I believe that they placing a fair amount of emphasis on the world that player communities will create. If you're not into KvK, there are plans for a non-conflict server. In fact, they've got server types for all preferences in the works. Normal (limited KvK), free-for-all (pvp), non-conflict, KvK, and role-playing. They've also introduced a quest-points system and are improving crafting, so there's something for everyone.

In my opinion, this game has a lot of potential, and knowing Turbine's great track record with AC1, I'll definately be there!

Good game- don't listen to everyone

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: October 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If this is your 1st MMORPG, you may want to wait a few months.

Unfortunatly, many of the reviewers of this game probably played the original, which was a solo game. You could potentially go through it w/out saying a word.
The same is true for AC2... only you won't have any fun that way. This game brings the multiplayer part back into the game. Many critics put the game down because of 2 main aspects: balance and socializing. The game is pretty balanced atm. There are flaws, like many games, but even the least "uber" character has a role. The game IS soloable, even as a support character (I know this from experience AND have seen it). The players truly run the economy. Gold is, and always will be, worth something. Removing the NPCs means that the market won't become overloaded with cash. I know, it'll happen: but i doubt it. The best of the best equipment is made by crafters. Crafters need money to make there gear. Crafters also need supplies for this as well, so i doubt there will be many crafters who will suite you up for free within seconds: removing the NPCs means the crafter can't just go buy an infinite amount of new supplies. Also, if you don't want to deal w/ crafting, you can gamble for boosts (adding shielding, damage, health, etc). it DOES require money, and a good deal of it too.
Many critics have some things correct, but over exaggerate. There are MANY options for character skills, no game has yet made it so every character looks completely different from the others, and the game is updated on a monthly basis- generally speaking, that means new quests, monsters, skills, and an on going story.
Most of all, it's fun. People may say, "Oh, it's just pretty," but that's the POINT. You want to explore the world. You want to run around, see the sights, climb hills, swim across lakes, etc. Looks DO matter, and this game's got'em.
I could go on with other things, such as the untested but interesting PK scene, the fact the company does listen to fans (despite a few whiners who angrily post threats demanding fixes), and other such things you'll find out from reading many reviews written on fan sites , but I don't think I need to. If you want to play a social game, come on in. Loners can stick to others games.

Asherons Call 2

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 9
Date: October 25, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I have played the beta for 4 weeks now and all I can its been a very bad experience. The graphics are beautiful, but thats about it, no real classes are available and most skills either dont work properly or really have a small benefit after you put your initial credit in it, its totally useless to keep putting experience into it as the benefits you get are meaningless. I was hoping this game would be much better, but all I can do now is wait for the next big MMORPG to come out.

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