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AC2 has grown up, and the future looks even brighter!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: January 24, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I am not exactly sure what happened with the launch of Asheron's Call 2. It was a game that had everything going for it. The graphics were (and are in many ways are) unsurpassed. The ideas presented were very fresh to the MMORPG community. The implementation of a class based system over a point based open ended system brought a whole new dynamic that the original Asheron's Call seemed to lack. I would say, all in all the game had a very bright future ahead of it... then reality hit, and no one bought the game.

It's hard to say why. I think the fact that Asheron's Call has never been a "typical" fantasy setting put some people off. The setting isn't your typical Tolkien rip off - it is a breath of fresh air IMHO. I also think that a lot of the original players from Asheron's Call 1 were unwilling to "restart" their characters in a new game, and leave behind the high levels and the notoriety that goes along with all of that. Plus, the new class based system was so different that the old players felt betrayed in some way. Some people just hate change.

I played AC2 during beta and several months after launch. I ended up dropping the game because I couldn't get my online buddies to leave Everquest, or Dark Age of Camelot, or even Asheron's Call and join me on my adventures on Dareth. So I gave in and moved on - back to AC, then to DAoC, then to Star Wars Galaxies. Then recently I decided to download the free trial and give it another shot. And I wasn't the only one. After the Star Wars Galaxies debacle and the decent but mediocre arrival of Horizons my online pals were finally ready to try something different. So they also downloaded the trial. Now we are all hooked!

The changes that have been made to this game are amazing. The classes are finally balanced the way they were intended to be. With the addition of a hero level island the level cap has been raised from 50 to 150. The quest system in AC2 is the best I have ever seen in a MMORPG. It sort of reminds me of Morrowind in the fact that there are so many quests available. Actually there is so much new content in the game that I can't believe that the additions were part of the monthly updates, and not as a high priced expansion pack. The graphics engine for the game was / is so far ahead of it's time that the technology still hasn't caught up to it, so even after all of this time the game still looks fantastic. Also, Turbine is in the process of beefing up the crafting system, which is already great. I really can't say enough in praise of this game. I have done a ton of quests, and already seen many sites around the world of Dareth, but I haven't even scratched the surface.

To end I will say this, I have played them all (ok, most of them). You name the MMORPG and I have probably played it. I realize that everyone has different tastes, but what do you have to loose? Download the 15 day trial, and see for yourself. I think you will have a lot of fun, and I think that is something that has been missing from this style of game for a while now - FUN! Finally, Turbine has recently bought back the rights for AC1 and AC2 from Microsoft, and they are promising big things for both games, so the future is only getting brighter. I can't wait!

Well I'm a AC2 Beta Tester as well...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 35 / 51
Date: September 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

...and I love the game, so don't assume negative feedback from a beta tester is the only feedback out there. I've spent plenty of time in MMORPGS, and here is my opinion: no, I will not write a post that uses nothing but superlatives and says AC2 is the best game ever in the history of mankind. I can't tell you that yet, its still BETA.

What I can tell you is that I liked what I saw, and I believe it has a lot of potential. The basic concept is AWESOME. The main reason it is "boring" to another reviewer is because there's hardly any CONTENT at this time -- Turbine is stress testing and working out bugs. But the basic system is great, I'm very happy with it. If you came from AC1 and expected AC1 + better graphics you will be disappointed. This is a very differnt game from AC1 (thank god). If your coming from DAoC or EQ or a host of other more popular games, you will very likely find AC2 to be a bigger better improvement with more possibilities and more fun factor than any of those previous games.

As a beta tester, my opinion is that AC2 has a great foundation and shows enough potential to convince me to but the game retail! So now you have two almost opposite opinions -- it means you're going to have to check it out for yourself. :)

All you have to look forward to if you buy this is...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 18 / 22
Date: December 29, 2002
Author: Amazon User

... the cool box art. Because someone forgot to include a game.

I was a beta 0 player for AC1 and played it for over 2 years as well as 3 of my friends and had very high hopes for its sequel. We all played Asheron's Call 2 beta for at least a month and we all came to the same conclusion.
We could not have been more dissappointed.

How could 3 years of constant feedback and play experience of thousands of players be ignored in order to created a severely stripped and dumbed down Everquest/DAOC clone?

We expected them to add the present complexity of Asheron's Call with better implemented items, quests and details. (AC1 had hundreds of some of the most well designed dungeons ever)

In the original there are 3 main classes with very different feels of play, each can be tweaked and modified by taking additional skill to match with the primary attack skill giving an extremely varied style of play as well as strengths and weaknesses. This had limitations that we all expected AC2 to address but that never happened- they actually ruined the highly tuned and balanced mechanics that took 3 years of evolution to create.
AC2's 3 classes for 3 races feel remarkably similar to play, so similar in fact, the only 2 things to really distinguish them is speed of attack and range. Not to mention spell variety, AC1 had hundreds AC2 fewer by a factor of 10 or more.

We expected them to build on the stunning graphics engine Turbine has been working on for the past 3 years as well as increase the number of variations as far as character design is concerned.

They did deliver on the graphics engine, some scenes are just downright breathtaking. But everyone looks the same.

In AC you had easily 90 different facial designs to choose from, add hair color and race to variations and everyone had a distinct different look.
I could pick friends out of a crowd in AC without clicking on them- I can't do the same with AC 2 where you would expect more customizations to be available considering there are 3 races.

We expected improved and more varied NPC and enemy AI and a vast world with almost limitless exploration. AC was massive for its time; you could literally run for hours from one area to another without dealing with zones(or take portals), if you could see it you could usually go there. The world felt real because so much detail went into the lore of the land and quite a bit of the world was built around it. Many early players can remember dodging blasts of magic from the Immortal Lord Rytheran in the Mage Academy, to wandering the hidden nest of the olthoi nobles in the Lair of Death to the stunningly complex design of the Disaster Maze or battling legions of undead (well it was a legion at the time) for the legendary Sword of Lost Light...

All of it, gone in AC2, and nothing much to speak of in its place.

More islands to work with but the world feels so much like a sand box or a beach resort- More of a graphic demo shipped with the dx8 sdk than real terrain from a real game.

Lore and Trade PCs are to be generated by the players, which there are so few of because well... there are no lore and trade PCs.

Indeed in AC I remember a player filling the tradesman role, (Julia Child) but that's it, Only 1 player dedicated 100% of her time to playing the role typically allotted to computer management.

There are no hero's because player interaction is so stunningly behind the times in comparison to say DAOC or Everquest. The entire concept feels like a failed experiment that should have been tested large scale before implementation.

I hope everyone else takes notice. It failed. Additional player participation is always good but the economy shouldn't be completely player based, we can't be in game all the time, we can't automate our avatars to perform routine tasks of mining, crafting and selling and until that's available AC2's present structure will be a failure.

Feature wise such as storage, horses, transportation spiffy character costumes, and weapon designs all lacking.

I could go on and on as to how bad this game really is in comparison to everything else out there including its 4 year old predecessor but I will stop here.

To sum it up this game lacks the incentive to move, to exchange, to interact, to play.
It's a waste of time, and money to venture into a Dereth till the damage has been repaired.

Till then, Asheron can leave a message.

update June 2003 after a trying out one of them fangled trial accounts- This sucker still isn't fun at all.

The Dark Age of Asheron's

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 14 / 16
Date: January 18, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When Asheron's Call players heard that Turbine was releasing an AC2, expectations were high, and rightly so. For months players were baited with fantastic screenshots and movies as well as tons of articles on what they could expect.

And then there was beta. You could almost hear the sounds of hopes being dashed. Yeah, it looks pretty, there's no denying that. It's the best looking game you're going to see for the next few years, Turbine outdid themselves with the game engine {as long as you don't look at the character's run animation}. But that's about all that can be said for it. Even after giving it the standard run of Beta and a few months of "let's see what happens not that it's gold", people are still flocking back to the namesake Asheron's Call Dark Majesty.

In Turbine's mad dash to please players by removing "tedious" things, like fletching arrows and running to town to sell things, they've completely elimintated social functions. It's a crazed race for people to kill stuff so they can level and do the only thing there is to do in the game, quest.

This game is as close to a FPS as a MMPOG can get without including railguns. And it begs to be run by macro players with it's simplistic "select, attack, walk away for a while" battle-style. You don't even need to be bothered with making a character, you can go to E-bay already and buy a freshly-leveled one.

If you feel the need for a game that is a series of killing stuff to level so you can do something cool, I'd suggest Everquest. At least there you can say cool things like "I'm going to kill orcs to gain faction,". In AC2, you're killing those same thousand creatures so you can get into a cave and if you do it right, to see a little movie.

If you want to play a game that shows what Turbine is really capable of {IE fantastic, sprawling, engrossing and addictive gaming!} and is really worthy of the game engine they put together, go play the father of Fallen Kings, Asheron's Call Dark Majesty.

If you just want to give your computer seizures and get a new set of ...coasters, go ahead and buy Asheron's Call 2.

Boring

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 15 / 18
Date: February 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Well, for starters; Turbine should have pushed back the release date of this game by a good six months. The game is unfinished. It was released with character skills that don't work, buildings that don't even have interiors, mobs that don't move or work properly, pets that wonder around aimlessly without any type of control, no merchants, no banking, no trade-skills (except for one-crafting), no helmets or any kind of head-gear (except for an earing), broken quests, no houses, no mounts, the weakest economy in MMORPG history, only one functional chat channel (others are still broken), no "uber" mobs with "uber" loot, and absolutely no fun after the first week or two.

I have played the following MMORPG: UO, EQ, AC1, AO, DAOC, and now AC2. AC2 is by far the most boring game I have ever played. I say that while being fully aware of the gankfest pvp-griefing interaction of UO, the lag issues of EQ and AO, Camping in EQ, the bugs in AO, archer balancing issues of DAOC, the lack of high-game content in DAOC, the love-hate feelings of KvK of DAOC, the lack of content of AC1, and the poor graphics of both UO and AC1. Taking all this into account, I can still say that Asheron's Call 2 is most boring MMORPG game I have ever played. In fact, it is one of the most boring games I have ever played.

For a reason that I can't fathom, Turbine decided to dumb-down the player-interface, gameplay mechanics, and content to a point that any three year old child could sit at the computer and do reasonably well while wondering the barren land in Dereth. There is no ammo for missle weapons because every weapon comes with unlimited ammo. There is no food to eat or water to drink. You don't have to manage any stats to try to improve you character. In fact, there is very little to do except kill mobs, loot, check out your experience bar, then repeat. The crafting in the game is nothing more then a clickfest and that is the limit of the trade skills. One trade skill in all of Dereth.

In conclusion, most people will find this lifeless game very boring and a smack-in-the-face to the entire genre. Most of the people you find playing this game are the power-levelers and campers that have worn out their welcome from other, more established games. It is a close community of people who play videogames all day. For a typical or casual gamer, I'd say you would find very little in common with the dedicated videogame lifers that inhabit the second world of Dereth. After all, with so little to do except kill things and monitor experience as if it is the thread-of-life, who else would be playing this unfinished experience treadmill.

OK, you sucked me in

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 17 / 23
Date: November 04, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Well, I made it through about 40 reviews before I felt compelled to lend a little clarity to this dialog.

First off: I have not played the beta. Nor did I play the beta for AC1 or DAoC. Betas are for people who like to test software in their spare time. I did, however, buy both AC1 and DAoC two days into retail. I played DAoC for about 6 months and I am still playing AC1 (I guess that makes about 3 years). I have read just about everything on the major fan sites and I know alot of people in the AC2 beta. Based on the number of hardcore AC players that have totally disappeared into the beta, this game must be at least a little fun.

Second off: AC1 has evolved from a very complex and fast paced game to an incomprehensibly complex and fast paced game. Gameplay, however, has not changed much. Killing a drudge at level 1 is pretty much like taking down eviscerators at level 50. The rate of advancement and the variety of goals and places to see will provide plenty of satisfaction though. When I came back from playing DAoC for six months, I had to learn the game from scratch it had changed so much.

My summary of DAoC is much shorter: slooooow. Interesting, but slow. A nice game to play while you are watching TV or doing your taxes or something. I'm sure it has changed much since I left and it has much to offer, but I am just not that patient.

Advice: Hear Turbine's story for AC2 and understand the gameplay options (melee, magic, archery, crafting, PvP, vaults, environmental evolution, etc). Ignore the UI shortcomings and the lack of content - Turbine WILL fix the UI and add the content. They were rookies in AC1 and they delivered the goods. They are wiser and richer now. If you don't believe me, go do something else for 3 to 6 months and check back. Just hope I don't take your favorite character name. ;-)

Valandil

A breath of fresh air...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 14
Date: November 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I played Everquest for 6 months, and Anarchy Online for 1 year. during this time, holding a very high position in Omni-Tek society, but after much deliberation and repeated abuse by Funcom as well as my other story-org leaders, we decided to evacuate this rotting carcass of an mmorpg.

However.

I Beta tested AC2 and I have to say I AM impressed!

First of all, mechanics. The Beta worked better than AO after it's ONE AND A HALF YEARS OF RUNNING.
Secondly, the grpahics are state of the art, providing suport for todays video chipsets and technologies, as well as the additional graphics capabilities of the videocards and processors of tomorrow.
Character creation is a large improvement I thought. Given there are only three races to choose from. However, being able to actually make a BELIEVABLE name for your character, I mean being able to use spaces, first and or last names, capitals and numbers, is sooooo nice. AO ran out of combinations 2 months into the running. Despite the fact that there are only three races, the customiaztions and personality you can instill in your character is enough to make up for it.

I like the idea that fighting and things are "fast" instead of slow. Monsters dart across the screen and leap at you, you can jump and swing your weapon at once.

The difference between being a magician and a warrior is whatever you make it. Personally my character was level 21 and both a paragon fighter and a master magician. It just depends how much time you want to invest on your guy, and how specific you wanna be.
You are whatever you want to be.

Of course there are other nice features. There's already a "base-wars" type of thing going on between the differnt kingdoms. I remember sacking the "Order" base and guardian with my Shadow Beta buddies, spectral sword in hand. You get alignment specific skills and spells as well.

I would recommend this game for anyone who fell asleep leveling to 150-200 in Anarchy-Online and is sick and tired of losing a weeks worth of XP by one death in Everquest.

My name ingame is "Chamber". Look me up.

Wonderful

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: November 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First this review is by a 30 year old who has played since release Ultima Online, Everquest, Dark age of Camelot, Neverwinter Nights,and Earth and Beyond (along with all the multitude of single player RPGs) which means I have a different slant and perspective than some. I have graduated from one to the next always critical yet trying to have fun and enjoy each game. I believe any MMPORGer realizes that each of the above have had many faults that detract from gaming experience.... faults unique to online gaming that are not present in single player offline games. But... to get the community experience we forgive and tolerate.

I don't think any release has been completely smooth and without bugs or dilemma. The current "9 countries only" and heavy system requirements seem to be the worst related to this game. The "lag" within game is fine, and as with all games, will improve in time. I have found personally this game the most ready and smooth of all the above releases. There has been some server downtime.

Turbine has done their homework. There are most definitely recognizable elements of other games put into a fascinating and involving epic storyline. The lifestones are like EQ or DAOC "binding", the gate travel is like UO's moongates (but much more fun), and certainly easier to get around than EQ "porting when you can find a druid or wizard" or DAOC's horse travel. Certainly bettter than waiting for the EQ boat.... but not quite as easy as UO's runes or new gates where you click on your destination. EQ's and DAOC's quests are sort of there.. but seem much less involved (but that's ok because killing a hundred clockworks to make my trueshot bow kinda ... and took a week.. heard some people were lucky enough that they didn't need 10 attempts). There is most definitely UO's faction system (although with an actual reward ... control of a town and its mines), and the typical group and guild systems. No reputation that I can see yet like UO or EnB.

Differences: Mounts, banks, vendors, npc's, are presently non existent. Towns are empty ruins. Being one who has created/been involved with story lines and roleplaying events within MMPORGs via player base (haven't been a programmer) I'm enthralled with the atmosphere we are in and feel part of a story. If Turbine does as they have planned we're in for a good time roleplayers. Hack and slashers and "dewdz" however probably will not like this game. It takes patience to get to this element (although it is present). In the way are many elements I've felt lacking in other games. The people early on in UO who spent all day mining and smithing and hitting themselves in the head with ebolts to move .1 in magery won't have to work quite as hard... but the element is still there. I assume you could last simply on looted weapons... but crafted are better in this game.

A massive involved skill tree with the potential of UNLEARNING skills, and suitable crafting where I know we're not going to have GM's over night (like UO does now). And with a player based economy where there are no NPC vendors... there will be a demand for crafters. UO did have "unlearning" where if you don't use it you lose it... but it took a long time to lose the points to make way for another GM skill. Your character WILL be unique.

The graphics are better than any.... certainly a step forward from EQ or even DAOC (but not quite Morrowind...). Very realistic and planned. Going into the wasp den I was genuinely scared by the background sounds and eerie moving of trees. Running through the Cauldron to Unrest had its moments of haunting... but not quite like this. MOB's are fine... although not a huge leap forward from EQ or DAOC. Haven't had a train yet..... that's good because there's no zone to run away to (realism). Don't know what's going to happen on the next two continents. For now we all started by coming out of the caves on one "easier" continent. There is sufficient challenge and the dungeons are much more "Neverwinter Nights"... with a plot and an involving storyline (that in NWN someone would have crafted). There's a reason to go into them... unlike UO where the reason was simply to get find more money and harder monsters to move your title.

Personally I'm dropping all the other games to stay in this one and know I'm not making a mistake. AC1 certainly was fine and equal to EQ(although either it or EQ were going to win the battle... like beta and VHS or MAC and PC or PS2 or Xbox or Gamecube). Until EQ2 next year and if and when Shadowbane I know this will be more than a satisfactory step forward from any of the past fantasy MMPORGs. Scifiers are probably fine with EnB (and upcoming Eve Online or Star Wars).... but I'm more for the fantasy storylines and AC2 most certainly has that.

Bravo Turbine. I'm a fan.

AC2 - Fallen Kings: The Next Evolution Of MMORPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 31 / 56
Date: August 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Asheron's Call 2 is the next generation Fantasy massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) where the world dynamically evolves around you. Enter a land devastated by a magical disaster, where the players must rebuild the world. Asheron's Call 2 features an all-new graphics engine, combat system and dynamic content system to deliver a rich, engaging fantasy world where world-shaking changes sweep you along an epic story-line.

* Dynamic content: The world of Asheron's Call 2 will continue to change around the players as the story unfolds - natural disasters, discovery of new lands and more keep the world alive and fresh.

* Players will have the opportunity to change the face of the land by helping to rebuild towns and restore natural resources.

* Amazing visuals: Asheron's Call 2's all-new graphics engine enables stunningly realistic visuals that are far and away superior to any other MMORPG on the market.

* New combat system: Features a new engrossing combat system where real-time decisions make a difference and players have hundreds of combat and magic skills available to master.

In the distant past, the land of Dereth enjoyed a golden age. The Humans, overcoming their history of dislocation and enslavement, slowly built their strength, tamed the threats to their peace, and claimed Dereth as their home. Guided by the wizard Asheron, the Humans mastered the ways of steel and magic to hold in check their nemesis, the insect-like Olthoi, and to stave off the encroachment of the Lugian and Tumerok civilizations. Though the unpredictable tides of magic surged all around them and new foes seemed to spring up endlessly, the Humans carved out a happy existence on Dereth.

However, this golden age was not fated to last forever. Bitterly opposed foes of unthinkable might struggled with one another to control the primal source of Dereth's magical power. Struggle turned to war, and war invited a horrible cataclysm. The denizens of Dereth fled deep underground into shelters created by the protector Asheron. The land above them twisted under dark waves of chaos for three hundred years.

Now, after generations of hiding in fear, the three civilized races--the Humans, the Tumeroks, and the Lugians--forge an alliance, setting aside their past enmity to work side by side. As you play Asheron's Call 2, you fight alongside the first brave adventurers to emerge from the shelters. All of the races strive to reclaim their ancestral lands from the evil that has flourished in the ruins left by the cataclysm. Together they rebuild the world, and face an uncertain future.

In time, you will learn more about this world. On this Asheron's Call 2 Web site we will reveal more of this story over the coming months. As you play, you will uncover secrets from the past and witness firsthand the world-shaking changes yet to come in our epic story.

AC2 Minimum System Requirements:
Processor: 733MHz or better
RAM: 256MB or more
Video: 32MB T&L supported (Geforce, Radeon)
DirectX 8.01b

Excuse me

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 28 / 49
Date: October 03, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Ok, now...I have never played AC before but I have kept in touch to most of what is going on through other sources and by reading some of the reviews posted here by some beta testers I just wanted to point out like another reviewer did; that this game is still in the BETA stage so therefore it isn't meant to be a version that is going to be highly enjoyable (most beta's aren't simply because it is an extension of the development process in that many aspects of the game are still being implemented and improved) or highly accessible activity.
So basically all I am stressing is that visitors to this review page not see the negative reviews (which in my opinion are ridiculous since the actual game has not even been released yet) and think that this game will not be that great. I am sure from the experience of AC this game will be capable of making some outstanding improvements in a number of areas.

I am just defending the fact that this game is still in its Beta stage. Like I said, I have not played AC and I cannot really talk about actualities here. I am an AO player and in a few months I am looking forward to trying out some more MMORPGs to see if I would care to move on or not. Thanks

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