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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

An enormous step for MMORPGs, from a long time RPGer

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 23
Date: November 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Our entire household plays Asheron's Call, and we've been RPGing on the net since the days of MUSHes. We beta tested Ultima Online, the first real graphic MMORPG, and the other MMORPGs as they came along. We were all beta testers for Asheron's Call 2 as well. We were very interested to see how the game would be updated, what they would keep and what would change. We got the full copy as soon as it came out.

The graphics are easily the first thing you notice, and they are a HUGE upgrade. Asheron's Call (AC) already had rather impressive graphics with a GEforce 3 - the weather changes, lighting, and outfits and monsters were done quite nicely.

But the Asheron Call 2 engine is an amazing step forward. Run through the water and watch the water ripple around your legs. Even better, dive off a cliff and watch your arching descent into the water. The trees leaves wave in the wind, the fountains shimmer and glow. The monsters are all unique with very intricate movements.

While in the previous version you chose from three types of human (generally 'European', 'Oriental', and 'Middle Eastern') you now choose from three types of sentient creatures. You can be the medium sized, athletic humans, the big, strong, solid Lugians, or the small, thin, wiery Tumeroks. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

When you customize your character, the detail is amazing, much as in Earth and Beyond. You choose the body height and thickness, the hair color and style, the tattoos and clothing colors, and much more. In each case there are a whole range to choose from, from hair colors to hair styles to facial types. Your character is very much a recognizeable individual. Add in clothing, and you'll be hard pressed to find two alike in the world.

Each character has skills they choose to be good at, much like any other role playing game. If you wish to be good in combat and go out slaughtering the local creatures, you can do that. Learn magic, and either kill enemies directly or help 'buff' your friends so they are better, at least until your spells wear off. But the game also heavily rewards those who enjoy making items, something that was becoming popular on AC. Gather up items with the appropriate raw materials and craft yourself new clothing, a new bow, and much more.

This brings up one change that many AC players dislike. In AC, you could make minor items - say fletch wood into arrows, or catch a rabbit and make rabbit pie. I was a personal fan of cooking :) You could then sell the items back to shopkeepers (non-player characters) and earn money that way. In AC2, there ARE no non player characters. So if you make things, you have to find someone else willing to buy them. If you want something, you either have to make it for yourself or track down someone to buy it from. Since most people aren't on 24 hours a day, this can become somewhat tricky and frustrating.

Still, the way that most trades were made on AC were either in 'subway' (a dungeon with many entrances and exits) or for more important items, via auctions on web message boards. People would bid for items, bidding in the game currency, and whoever won the auction would arrange to meet the character to do an in-game swap. If anything, AC2 promotes even more of this in-game economy.

I enjoyed the human-shopkeep mentality from Ultima Online and thought it gave an outlet to those who were creative but not of a monster-killing mentality. I think that it was great for AC2 to head in this direction, but still think having a few basic shopkeeps around would have been helpful. When playing AC2 sometimes, there were literally so many people in some areas that I couldn't find monsters to kill to get raw materials, and I trudged far and wide trying to find some 'available' monsters.

There are all sorts of touches that show how great it is to have a game that's been played VERY heavily for many years. The characters can grab musical instruments and play different songs, and jam together. The commands are the same as in AC but have been tweaked to be even more useable. The changing of the day/night, and shadows, and weather, and seasons,all make you really feel part of an organic world.

There are still quests, for those who enjoy questing. There are random monsters for those who enjoy hack-and-slash. There are things to make for those who enjoy creating. And there are the various monarchies and groups for those who enjoy community and want to forge friendships. Those who enjoy the 'richness' of AC's community might forget that it grew over many years, just as the communities in DuneMUSH and the early Ultima Online and at EverQuest have all grown. To expect AC2 to spring to life with that level is a bit unreasonable. Like every RPG, it will coalesce over time. Sure, AC2 has bugs to start with. Every on line game does. And over the weeks and months, those bugs get sorted out and gameplay is tweaked until it shines.

I know that many AC players will have invested so many months (if not years) in their characters that it'll be hard for them to give them up. In the boards I've been on, there is certainly a die-hard contingent that swears they'll stay on AC with their friends and characters until the server is shut down. But on the other hand, copies of AC2 are flying off the shelves and people are having to scrounge to get their hands on copies. The new game is AMAZING in many ways. And as the months go on, AC will seem more and more dated with its old style graphics and falling number of players.

I suppose I liken it to playing Doom when Unreal Tournament is out. Yes, I used to play Doom for hours and hours and loved the graphics and gameplay. But in 2002, given the ability to play Unreal Tournament with its gameplay and graphics, the Doom CD sits on the shelf. I have fond memories of Doom, and my time spent with it made me a better gamer, better to appreciate what gaming has to offer now.

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!

AC2 Beta to Retail

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 17
Date: November 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I played Ac2 beta form about august 02 until e.o.b. (end of Beta), and i have to say that despite dealing with glitches and constant updates -which should both be expected during a beta test- the game is amazing. Alot of people will have nothing but bad things to say about lag, but I rarely had diffulty. Sure I had to turn some of the fancy textures down, but tall grass in this type of setting creates its own problems. My computer is also not a super computer. I have a modest 866mhz coppermine processor with a geforce3 ti 500 video card a 7200 rpm Maxtor hard drive, and 384 MB pc 133 sdram. These are not amazing stat by any computer standard, yet I had very little difficulty with lag problems unles I was in an area that was very highly populated area, and believe me there can be plenty of other reasons to stay away from highly populated areas.
So, I say to everyone who has not played AC1 -I never did- and who has thought about playing AC2, I you like RPG's this game rules! Sure it has a few problems, but all games do, and I the thing that all of thes negative reports are not telling you is that you will find versatility, graphics, and practical solutions to most of your old RPG disappointments that may have stemmed from other RPG games which were seriously lacking. I also strongly suspect that updates to the retail version will come fairly quickly and most of AC2's problems will be solved.

Thank you for letting me speak,
Tony (AC2 Fan)

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.

Incredible depth and balance with mind-boggling graphics!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 27
Date: August 19, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Asheron's Call 1 entered the MMPORPG scene just about 3 short years ago as the new kid on the block. Since that date, when they entered with a very well-made gaming experience.. Microsoft and Turbine have learned and actually listened to the players. AC2 looks to be the result, and playing the Beta version of AC2 reveals that not only is this the best MMPORPG out now, but also is the best RPG ever made for any console. Period. Look out Everquest. Roll over and give it up DAoC. The graphics here [draw] you into a fascinating world where the breeze blows softly and you can actually see the blades of grass individually swaying. The monsters have intelligence beyond that of ANY game I've ever seen. No more are the days of attack and run behind a wall or jump on a wall to avoid their attack while you heal and go back to finish them up. These monsters are SMART. They WILL find you and get to you one way or another! Perhaps while you're on that wall trying to heal they will surprise attack you ON THE WALL as they found another way to get up it, or maybe they'll just throw a boulder ot shoot an arrow through the back of your head! I am amazed. AI creatures that are actually a challenge intellectually. Hundreds of other players. A devastated world that needs the players teamwork to rebuild the fallen towns. No more running to towns or NPCs to sell loot. There are NO npcs! All player world with players crafing and selling and minging the needed armor, weapons, raw materials and supplies. Any RPG or MMPORPG fan should NOT dare miss this one. It will blow you away. Oh, and one more thing: Forget "having a night life" after purchasing when it comes out! You'll have to plan ahead just to make it to real life things like "work" or "school". It really is THAT immersive. Great job Microsoft & Turbine. You have created a true "virual reality" that it nothing short of awesome in every sense. Talk about a BANG for your buck! I think my ears are ringing from the explosion of this bang!

The only one for me

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 9 / 16
Date: November 21, 2002
Author: Amazon User

It's obvious that no single game can please everyone. None of the others have grabbed me in the least. And I've tried them all. After playing AC1 for 2.5 years (accounting for nearly 3 months of my life!) I engaged the AC2 beta.
I'm going in. It's not about graphics (though they're awesome). It's about creativity, a legend with a 'hook', characters I can identify with, and community. Maybe more people like myself are attracted to AC for the same reasons I am, and that's why we find it so attractive. So go play E&B, EQ, AO, DAoC, or whatever, and have a great time. We won't miss you. We've got things to do....

AC2 - The Best in Online Adventuring

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 16
Date: October 13, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying that rating a "massively multiplayer online role-playing game" ("MMORPG" or "PW") is an inexact science. Different things appeal to different people. This latest offering by Turbine Games (marketed by Microsoft), however, has many things to offer the hard-core, die-hard fan of the genre.

When describing a new game, many people care most about how it compares to things currently available. In this regard, AC2 is MUCH better looking, MUCH more technically advanced, has MUCH better sound, and MUCH better story than the current crop.

AC2 graphics are, in a word, beautiful. With a "kick-butt" video card in your computer, you will see jaw-dropping and fairly smooth gameplay. Individual blades of grass and leaves sway in the breeze. When it rains, individual drops form rings in the lakes and streams. Shadows are true, fire looks like fire, armor and people take visible damage, and bright lights cause theatric "lens flare" when you look towards them.

AC2 sound is equally amazing (if you desire more than "beep" and "click"). A professionally-created score for each of the three player races forms the background music. Monsters (or mobs) actually ADD to this music with their own complimentary tune. With a little practice, you can actually know what's coming up behind you by listening to how the monster's music blends with your own. As a social (and actually fun) activity, players can use musical instruments (found as loot on monsters) to easily have an in-game jam session.

OK, you say... Great graphics and music don't make a great game. I totally agree. I've been playing AC2 in beta-test for several months now and I've been loving every minute of it (well... maybe not when I die). The storyline is great (see more about this in the next paragraph). There is always something to do or see. progression through the levels is quick at first (so new players don't get discouraged) and toughens up with time. There are many quests to complete, and even "special" quests, known as the "vault campaign" that give extra rewards and reveal more of the storyline.

As for the storyline, the single-most high point of AC2 is something that was shared by it's younger sibling, the original Asheron's Call. This great feature is the use of a monthly update process to keep the content fresh. Through the monthly updates (included as part of the subscription cost), the world of AC2 develops. Towns get improved, items added and destroyed, lore is explained, events unfold, cataclysms occur, etc.

Anyone who complains that there isn't anything to do in AC2 hasn't been looking very hard. Players can simply explore, fight monsters, solve quests, and... CRAFT weapons, armor, etc. It is possible for players to simply be excellent crafters, sought-out by those in need, without spending much time fighting. Materials needed for crafting can be supplied by the customer and the items made for a fee or for trade.

AC2 also does away with much of the druggery of other games. Although unrealistic, there are no more runs to town to replenish arrows or spell components. This allows players to concentrate more on the fun aspects without having to break to replenish supplies.

Many will say, "AC2 is just like..". In truth, AC2 takes elements from many other games, including Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, Ultima Online, Neverwinter Nights, Anarchy Online, and a host of others. It is up to each person to judge if they picked the best features of these games. I am inclined to believe that AC2 has what it takes for real success. I am greatly looking forward to the commercial release.

Short and To the Point

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: October 14, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'll keep this short. I beta test for AC2, I took part in AC1. The Asheron's Call franchise is absolutely spellbinding. You cannot ask for a better game, if you should even call it a game. You meet real people and establish real, lasting friendships. People have even been married after meeting in AC and love eachother, I know two of them personally. Now, don't think anything negative of AC2 until you try it. Then and only then should you wonder about the quality of this game. I vote it as not just one of the best, but THE best game I've ever known of.

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