Below are user reviews of Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa and on the right are links to professionally written reviews.
The summary of review scores shows the distribution of scores given by the professional reviewers for Richard Garriott's Tabula Rasa.
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User Reviews (1 - 11 of 16)
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Nice game but....
1
Rating: 1,
Useful: 5 / 9
Date: February 05, 2008
Author: Amazon User
I played the game for about two weeks and I must admit for the first three days I was having a good time, by the 4th day I realize how reptitive the game is. The MOB's are a good challenge, but get boring. All travel is by foot or teleporters, there are no vehicles at all!
I played other online games like planetside, EVE, EQ, EQ2, BF2142,BF2, SWG, Matrix, etc and I always look for certain qualities that may a game seem fresh. So Tabula rasa is nice for a quick fix of sci-fi combat but the fun will wear off quickly when you realize that it is the same thing over and over again. To add the plot is a bit depressing it sounds like the humans are a dying race and are fighting a fruitless never ending war. Enjoy the grind if you have nothing better to do.
Another hyped up game.
2
Rating: 2,
Useful: 7 / 47
Date: November 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User
Everytime a new mmo comes out,people start posting its the greatest game ever. Does anyone remember lord of thr rings? This game is no better and its so laggy that its almost unplayable. In six months people will lose interest in this over hyped game. The offical website doesn't evn have offical boards on it. That should tell you alot. They send you somewhere else to complain.
Immaturity abound!
2
Rating: 2,
Useful: 5 / 8
Date: January 18, 2008
Author: Amazon User
This game is a fun game. I will warrant that. The physics and the leveling system are superb. I recommend it to anyone who can ignore idiocy.
The issue with the game is that no matter where you go, you get people who spend all of their time simply telling everyone who is anywhere near them that World of Warcraft sucks. Then they go on to say that whoever defends WoW should just go play that instead.
Sorry for not being a one-game man, O god of Tabula Rasa!
The conversations are repetitive, they're boring, and you can't find an intelligent conversation anywhere. It's depressing. I quit after a week because of how rarely I could actually find people to play with.
Fun but lacks depth
3
Rating: 3,
Useful: 10 / 10
Date: November 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User
I have been playing Tabula Rasa (TR) since its launch on the 2nd November. TR is a Massively Multiplayer Online game (MMO) with a science fiction setting. Earth has been destroyed and now you fight Earth's destroyers, collectively known as "The Bane", on faraway planets.
When you first enter TR you start in "The Wilderness", the starting zone. TR uses a tier system not a class system. Everyone starts in the same place as a recruit. At level five you reach your first tier and can choose to become either a Soldier or a Specialist. At level 15 you again get to choose a branch. Soldiers have the option of becoming either Commandos or Rangers. Specialists choose either a Sapper or a Bio-technician. When you hit level 30 you get to make your final choice. Each time you gain a level you get points which you can allocate to whichever skills you have, making them more powerful. You can also neglect skills altogether if you like, giving you more points to allocate in your favourite skills. You don't learn knew skills every time you level. The only time you learn new skills is when you reach a tier.
The world itself looks good, though it does seem rather depressing and desolate. Being in a perpetual state of war there are wreckages lying around and burnt out areas. Nothing particularly beautiful about the graphics but they are good. There are no big cities such as Ironforge in World of Warcraft or Qeynos in Everquest 2. Instead there are bases scattered throughout the land. You can travel to bases you have already visited using waypoints and dropships. You access other planets through wormholes.
You level your character by doing missions which you collect from NPCs. You can in fact solo all of the missions with the exception of the instanced dungeons, where you will need to enter as a squad. You can have six players in a squad.
The UI is easy to learn. You can have five weapons and five skills (think spells). The magic in this game is called Logos and that gives you attacks and buffs etc. Combat in TR is fast and furious, particularly in squads and the instances. As usual you are at the mercy of squads, some are good and others are bad.
Graphics: Graphics are nice but the world itself isn't beautiful so you won't be awestruck by sunsets or large cities. It looks like a warzone.
AI: The AI in the game is good with enemies trying to flank you and enemy dropships arriving randomly to drop off reinforcements.
Combat: Hectic and fun for the most part. A bit of strategy is required. Crouching improves the speed with which your target reticle locks on and also increases damage. Crouching behind sandbags, rocks, and other cover reduces the amount of damage you take.
Instances (dungeons): Are a mixed bag. Instances (meaning each squad has its own dungeon) have missions and are more difficult, requiring a squad. The only problem with an instance is that once you have completed the instance and the missions, there is no reason to ever go there again. Like any game, doing and instance with a terrible group can leave you frustrated and angry, and I think I've had more bad groups then good ones. At this stage I'll put that down to the newness of the game and it's players, with players not having tried other classes and knowing what's expected of them.
Classes: I personally like the tier system, though the gap between level 15 and level 30 is a long one. The classes are unique to each other and all classes can solo. The final tier classes fall into the classic Tank Healer DPS variety, but they are different enough from other games to feel new. All classes use weapons unique to them such as grenade launchers, laser rifles, leech guns and so on. There are different damage types and certain enemies are vulnerable to different types, so switching between weapons is a necessary part of the game.
Overall: Had I written this review in the first week of release I would have rated it highly. The game looks great and the early worlds were polished and refined. From my experience any faults are picked up quickly and the developers are working hard to release patches to fix issues. Currently there is a patch due out which makes the Specialist line, particularly Medic, more viable and fun to play.
The game does get repetitive quickly. As I mentioned earlier, the gap between tier three and four, levels 15 to 30, is a long one. Waiting 15 levels before you get to try new weapons and skills is a long time. Player controlled vehicles are set to be introduced in the first expansion but whether people can wait that long is another thing.
Tabula Rasa is a fun game to play, and it caters nicely to the casual gamer. It's easy to log in and do a mission, or fight for a control point. At the current shelf price and the standard 30 day included play it's good value and I recommend buying it.
Tabula Rasa review
3
Rating: 3,
Useful: 5 / 5
Date: December 28, 2007
Author: Amazon User
Well I've played this game and my character is now a level 50. Which is as high as you can go, so I feel I can review this game now.
Good things about this game: It is fast paced and not to hard to make it to level 50 in a month, with moderate amount of play. I didnt play them all but didnt hear much complaining about the characters being really unbalanced or sucking to bad, the medic may be the acception. Didnt have to grind more then about 4 or 5 of the levels, the rest where completed with quest. By the time you hit 25 level you will hate the bane and want them dead on sight as much as everyone else. stories I found to be interesting enough. Also great looking instances, that can all be soloed or run with a group. Found most people on the game to be really friendly, or at least helpful.
Bad things about the game: The Auction house seems a bit broken, almost impossible to make money on it, this may change with time but for the moment most stuff sells for just over vender. Money in the game is pretty much used for buying bullets at the moment, since stuff is pretty easy to get from quest, and items sell so cheap, i have 13 million right now and no real purpose for it. Once you hit level 50 there isnt any end content on this game at the time of writing this, really only thing to do is, try and find some PvP but after fighting as allies with your fellow players against the bane for 50 levels, just seems wrong to go around killing them for no reason, no if we started to get ranks, money, weapons, something for it, then would be much more fun. Everyone can color there armor to set them apart from one another, but in the end everyone looks similar with different paint jobs. As of writing this, the crafting system is very broke. For example, there is only one level 50 purple grade sword in game ive seen, you can put 4 buffs on purple items, but the sword comes with 4 on it, there is no way to remove these worthless buff to put your own on it, in fact 90% of all the level 50 stuff cant be modified in any way, and lets say you get a blue item with only two buffs on it, and want to add one more, being blue can only have 3 added to them, your chances at full skill level is 12% chance of adding a buff, and 25% off distroying your item. At least for me, I found that after getting one character up to level 50, it wasnt that interesting to level another one to that level. Becuase the first one you level seems just fine and powerful enough that theres no reason to start another one. Almost for got, even over a month after release, I would say close to 10% of the quest are still very buggy, meaning you cant finish them or may have to do them more then once to finish them because of a small mistake. example would be like dieing in the middle of a bombing run, and the quest says failed, and the guy that gave it to you vanishes, later found out you need to kill everything first then run the bomb in. This is the last part of a 5 part quest, and starting over waste 2 hours. conclusion: Game is fun and graphics are good, but seems like they have about a years worth of work to make the game fun enough to play for more then two months. but at a cost of 25 dollars as of right now, may be worth buying and playing for a month, get a good character. They hold on to your characters after you stop you acount, so in like 6 months check back in and maybe start it back up :). Hope this helps someone decide.
Dull but functional
3
Rating: 3,
Useful: 3 / 7
Date: December 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User
I had an excellent experience in connecting, updating and playing online. The game itself has good graphics, huge worlds, but repetitive and predictable activities and minor map glitches make areas that the player can enter then not leave without restarting are drawbacks. I had not realized it was online only, and the monthly subscription price is high if you look at it as an annual cost. Game maker promises free online month after you subscribe however that never was actually provided. Expensive monthly fee outweighed game fun so I dropped after 4 weeks. It's a WOW clone in sci-fi wrapping.
Great Idea...just not quite there
3
Rating: 3,
Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 09, 2008
Author: Amazon User
I've played a lot of computer games over the years and was very interested in trying a MMO mixed with a first person shooter. I read the reviews on other gaming sites saying that this game wasn't that great but when it went on sale here on amazon I decided to give it a shot. Well I have to report the reviews are right, the concept of the game is great but the implementation is just not there. After playing World of Warcraft this game leaves much to be desired.
It's nice to see changes in the MMO world
4
Rating: 4,
Useful: 21 / 25
Date: November 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User
An update to my previous review.
Well ive run the game up to lvl 32, gotten my final class( Sniper and i have a Spy clone ).
My previous review I was in the early stages of the game. I've spent quite a few more hours playing and my enthusiasm has waned quite a bit. I've accually canceled my subscription and will be moving on to something else( probly Age of Conan when it comes out ).
I'll explain - 1 BUGS - Once i got past the 1st few zones you start to see lots of bugs, zone bugs, chat bugs, quest bugs and interface bugs. The game at this stage feels like I'm in an early beta. They should have waited another year before releasing this game. 2 no mail or auction system, although an auction system should be out very soon in an update. 3 when i hit 30 and started playing as a sniper, the game lost all its fun and im not the type of person who will reroll even with a cloned 30spy and run the same quests over agian. Theres no alternate zones to bring up new caracters, you have to run the same zones. ( I realize this is a personal choice some ppl will have no problem at all with this. 4 There's no way to reset your skill points as you grow and learn more about your caracter, you can clone them if you have a clone credit but getting those is quite an ordeal. 5 The Tabula Rasa website has no official forum which makes me think these developers have no interest in there community.
All that being said, the game still has a fantastic combat system but i feel this game has been doomed because someone ( developers or corporation? ) Didn't want to take the time to get things working smoothly before the release.
end of update.
I've been playing since launch day( i didn't play the beta ). My impressions of the game are mixed but im overall enjoying the game.
In my opinion the best part of the game is its revolutionary targeting system, no more auto aim here. you acually have to aim yourself. each target has a circular reticulator that provides you with information on the damage youll be producing, the closer to the center the higher the damage output. It also provides you with info on how vulnerable you are and how much of a damage reduction you'll see if your hit. Being partially hidden reduces the damage you take under fire. So the feature is nothing short of brilliant and fresh in the MMO world. I only hope i see more of this in future games.
Another great aspect of the game is the pace, much faster pace than any other MMO i've experienced. My next favorite thing are the instances. I'm only lvl18 so we'll see what higher levels present, again very fast paced, but the best part is the intelligence and realism of the fight huge mobs come charging at you from great distances, they dodge and sidestep and flank like no other. The experience is not unlike a rollercoater at an amusment park you cant stop riding.
The graphics are good, especially you toon models.
Now, what i don't like!
1st i miss loot based instances like in WoW. These are all quest based, you do get your rewards but mostly from quests. The quest based instances actually work for this type of game. But i always liked that feeling after downing a hard boss and someone getting a good roll and a good reward. It's a fun part of the game.
2nd the chat system in TR annoys me it needs to be much more extensive and capable in providing info about other players and what the wearing and using etc...
that's it, overall i would reccomend this to anyone who enjoys MMO's and might be looking for something new.
TR-Not just for the kiddies
4
Rating: 4,
Useful: 2 / 2
Date: December 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User
First off let me say the scenery in this game is beautiful. The characters you create are semi believeable, not cartoonish like in WoW.
Your goal in TR is to be part of the AFS (military organization) and fight against the bane. TR is a good blend of and FPS and MMO. If you like plenty of action this game's for you.
I played about 3 weeks in Beta prior to release, and now have a level 34 character, plus about 4 other lower level characters. I have not felt like I was grinding to get to the next level or worrying about getting some uber weapon, because your so busy doing missions and instances, you look down and you've gained a level or been rewarded a nice weapon. I personally like the fact you don't have to grind away trying to beat someone else to a weapon. They have introduced an auction house also, which is nice to sell any extra gear you acquire or buy better armor if you don't want to wait and find it yourself.
Another nice feature is the "clone" system. You can earn clone rewards along the way and try different classes without having to re-run the game from the start. This is very nice.
Some of the maps-areas have a few bugs, but I have found the GM's to be very nice and helpful to get by these. GM support seems to be getting better
Great new MMO!
4
Rating: 4,
Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User
I've been playing MMO's for about 8 years now. I started with SWG, moved on to EQ2 and have been looking for something new for the past few months. I played WoW for about 2 months and hate how easy and cartoonish the game is. Tabula Rasa is refreshing to say the least. The game reminds me of SWG when it first came out and was still a great game.
I have not encountered a single bug yet, although as with any MMO I'm sure there are plenty especially at launch. Many games today are released when they are not even near finished, I feel they did a great job doing as much as possible to make this a great game at the start.
This game is not for the typical WoW crew, as it is a bit more challenging and takes more then button mashing/running at the AI. Strategy is key at times and FPS style is something to get used to if you are a straight MMORPG player with no FPS experience.
If you're looking for something fresh and new, exciting and challenging, I say give it a try!
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