User Reviews (1 - 11 of 86)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Leaves the current crop in the dust

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 26
Date: January 31, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Simply a much deeper, more satisfying gaming experience than the current crop of MMO's. Unlike World of Warcraft, Vanguard is truly an MMO. You can't escape other players by having the game offer you your own pocket universe with dungeons all to yourself. There are no magic universe splitting events cause by you opening a door and another player opening the same door. Their decision to eliminate the infantilism of instancing was one of their better decisions. Places are ALIVE with activity and communities are much stronger.

The dungeons are truly massive and require real thinking and knowledge of your class to get through. Unlike WoW, where you can just spam hotkeys and expect to be rewarded, VG asks a bit more of you. Yes, there are many people who don't want to have more asked of them and they won't like VG.

Then there is Diplomacy. A whole new avenue of progression never before seen in MMO's. Through conversation via a MTG type of game, you can influence whole cities. Gossiping with the local merchants might lower prices for goods. Convincint the local clergy might reward all players entering the city to travel faster. No other game allows that kind of influence.

Flying mounts are also done like no other game. Yes, TBC has them but they are limited. Not in VG. You can take them anywhere and see the world of Telon. And its a HUGE and beautiful world. No other world make me feel this small.

If you're currently playing a more entry level type of MMO like WoW and wont' to grow up a bit, VG just might be for you.

Love it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 6
Date: March 10, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I got this a little after it came out via SOE's store, downloading took like, 2 days on DSL, but afterwards, I was thrilled! People have to remember, this game has been in the works for a while. It is not 100% finished, but it's a totally online game, so I don't think it ever will be. It'll update as it's player base changes and grows, and new ideas form.

Not for everyone

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 6
Date: May 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is expansive and takes a lot longer to advance. The instant-gratification crowd that has developed thanks to WoW will not like it. In WoW you can quickly level then spend the rest of your life grinding instances over and over in order to get that precious drop.

All MMOs are grinds - it just depends on how you want to do it.

This game has bugs, performance issues, and now is struggling to stay afloat. However, I thoroughly enjoy it and am willing to live with the flaws in order to see what it can become.

In many ways it is a lot like EQ - but you would do best to bring along some friends as the populations are beginning to dwindle a bit.

Great Game! with unbounding potential.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: March 05, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This game is not for the weak at heart. I have played MMOs going back to the days of Diablo and Everquest. I have even played World of Warcraft; which in my opinion leaves you longing for a challenge. This game is beautiful, the graphics are simply stunning. Its class system was well executed and thought out. The game mechanics overall are awesome. However, it is not without flaw, the game does need polishing. It still has bugs, broken quests, etc. (more so than a typical recently launched MMO.) However, I believe Sigil is working hard to fix these issues and get the game to its polished potential. For those that are looking for a challenge and are tired of cartoonish graphics and the ease of World of Warcraft offers, I recommend you pick up a copy of this game.

Awesome game with alot of potential

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: July 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The game is quite massive and time consuming to download all the game data and patches. However, once you get it all loaded up and actually start playing the game you forget all thoughs minor details. The graphics are superb and the community is very supportive. At first I thought the game was deserted, yet it turns out the lands are just so massive that its rare to run into anyone except in the towns. Yet if you do happen upon someone they'll almost always buff you without even having to ask. If you ever have a question you can just talk over the main channel and everyone will pitch in until the question is answered. The plus side to this game is many of the players are at least in there later teens (usually keeping the stupid your mom taunts and debates to a minimum)making the chats much more enjoyable then other online games I've been apart of. Overall a killer game to be apart of, just keep in mind your going to need a top level gaming console to meet even the bare req.'s of the game.

Vanguard - Half EQ1...the rest fun fun fun

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 4
Date: March 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

After spending the last three weeks playing Vanguard, I am finding that there is tremendous challenge....solo AND group content....excellent video and sound... There are some things I would add or change... but for only being out a month, at this time, i think this game is phenomenal. I'm thoroughly hooked.

The pendulum has shifted

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 12 / 17
Date: February 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Vanguard: SOH is excellent, even though it was admittedly released a bit early. I was a beta tester since Beta 3 and the changes to the game since are simply amazing. A large, expansive, beautiful, and difficult world that is truly the spiritual successor to Everquest, with a bit of the accessibility of World of Warcraft thrown in. For lots of people this will be exactly what they are looking for out of the box. If you are hesitant, give Sigil another few months to iron out the rough edges.

The graphics are suberb - a sense of scale and "place" that haven't been seen since the original EQ and its great early expansions such as Scars of Velious.

The dynamic music - half a gig's worth - is the best I've ever heard in any video game, full stop.

The classes are not revolutionary, but are quite evolutionary, taking the best concepts from previous games. Playing a healer has never been this interesting before, but almost all the classes are different and fun to play.

The diplomacy sphere is revolutionary - interact with NPCs to influence cities and people.

Performance - it doesn't take a supercomputer to run, *but* you should have a decent video card purchased within the past two years or so, 1.5 gigs ram, and a 7200 RPM hard drive.

Vanguard marks a possible shift of the pendulum to the slower, richer games of the "golden age" first generation MMO's, with some of the accessibility of the second generation (WoW / EQ2), but with the graphical splendor and successful "mixing" of new and old elements that does qualify it as truly third generation. Also, you've got the most dedicated set of "all-star" developers in the industry. Finally, a true "AAA" alternative to World of Warcraft (a very good, but very different, game than this). It does not yet have the fluff polish of WoW, but this is being improved upon day by day and the core engine, gameplay, and graphics are all far superior.

Basically, if you were a fan of the original EQ (like me), you will probably love VG. If you thought EQ2 was too easy or restrictive, this is the game for you. If you have gotten tired of WoW and are looking for something different and more challenging in certain ways, take a look at VG but make sure your system is up to spec.

Realistic Fantasy with an immersion effect like no other!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 19
Date: February 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I started playing in the beta 3 phase of Vanguard back in September of 2006. My first character that I played with was a Dark Elf Necromancer, which I loved. Now I have been playing a Dark Elf Cleric that is level 28. I am a casual player and far from the hardcore mentality. I would love to play all of the time, but, I just don't have the time. Vanguard seems to fit in my time frame just fine.

My initial experience with Vanguard was absolutely pleasing. Coming into the game as a Dark Elf feels very dark. The sky above glows an evil looking red with a decent size underground portion of a city. With that said, I've tried almost every class that Vanguard has to offer up near level 10 (for testing purposes). Every race introduction feels really unique. The developers really took their time to make sure that the wood elf would have the feeling of being in a wood elf environment. Same goes with a High Elf, were you appear around a vast wooden region with a grand tree that flows magic all around. The Goblins and the Orcs have a very intriguing introduction quest line that will have you looking all over the place for cover. The gnomish city is massive and constructed very well by the gnomes. Sometimes I wonder if they were too smart for their own good. I could go on and on, though, the point that I am trying to reach, don't limit yourself to just one type of race in Vanguard. Branch out, try them all. You'll really have a pleasing experience with many of them that you do (introduction wise).

Some of the quest lines in the game are really, really intriguing. Sigil has put a lot of effort in the design of making an entire area fulfill a specific goal for a quest and you'll be running all over the place, dodging some incredible looking beasts, looking at some amazing detail, all while trying to maintain vigilance to your overall goal. The rewards, incredible. These are the type of rewards that will bring a smile to your face when you fully complete the quest or get a piece that leads you in the right direction. I'm not talking about something level 50ish, I'm talking about something right out of the gate, level 20ish. The initial quest does not take too long at all to complete. Though, to fully complete the quest, it will take a bit of devotion. I never completed the entire quest, but, I was more than happy with what I did accomplish. The rewards that I received helped me ten-fold to be a better Cleric. Read the quests, become involved in your character. Your destined to be immersed.

Dungeon crawling in Vanguard is pretty. That's right, pretty. Ok, some are utterly creepy too. Bottom line is that Sigil has put some amazing detail into the dungeons that will have you looking in awe. The quests bring you in, and your mind takes over from there, wanting more. What is great is that once you complete your introduction quests, if you choose to do them, you can start out in dungeons. Most of all of them have unique bosses and some great quests/rewards for the given level. Premier dungeons are something else too. Very unique looking all while giving you an overall goal, if you choose to do it. Again, the quests bring you into these dungeons, and your mind just wants to explore to see what is around that next corner. Some of these dungeons will really make you think. For instance, being shot at from some sort of enemy, that is armed with a bow, that is in your area... You're not sure where he is at, but you're taking damage. What do you do?

I hope you enjoyed the little read and if you have any questions, feel free to post a reply and I'll provide my insight on what I have experienced. While many people stress the negativity, I have no room for that. The game is in great shape, in my mind, and I'll be playing on Day 1. But, that is me. I'm here to provide my view points and that is that. You will inevitably make your own decision about playing Vanguard.

My systems: Laptop (2.13ghz, 2gb ram, nvidia 6800go), Desktop (1.8ghz, 2gb ram, nvidia 7800gt), normally running the game on Balanced, unless I'm just adventuring around the world, and then I max the graphics.

Thanks for reading!

Vanguard a Look....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 18
Date: February 17, 2007
Author: Amazon User

For those of you that like things handed to you on a Platinum platter Stop! Read no further and go play WoW. For those of you that require level 60 in fewer than 4 weeks Stop! Just go play WoW Vanguard is not for you. Vanguard is not for the WoW at heart. I enjoy having to work for levels, Loot, and Grouping, like PnP days with AD&D is the only way to play. The graphics are very nicely done having a 256Meg Video is recommended, Having 2gig of RAM also is better and lots of HD space. My laptop is half the above listed config but runs the game nicely in Balance mode. (Turn the grass to 0%) solves the choppy screen problems on the laptop. Game play is unreal more options then I have seen in the other MMOs I have played. You get tired of Hacking there the world you can talk yourselves in to trouble. Diplomacy is a nice add to Vanguard. I recommand this MMO have played the following; EQ, EQ2,WOW, DAoC, DDO....

great game - one of the best I have played

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 13
Date: March 13, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've played my fair share of mmorpgs, starting back with games like UO and Everquest, and Vanguard is perhaps the most immersive game I have played since those days (this is 8 years and a lot of games later). If you're looking for something easy where you can max out a character in a few weeks, this one is probably not for you. Travel times are long, leveling is slower than some of the recent-gen games like WoW, and so on. However, Vanguard will challenge and intrigue you. I find the graphics excellent and the performance on my mid-range computer fine (I get about 30fps on a computer that someone could build for around $800 today). A few of the areas I have hunted in have really impressed me with their beauty and imagination.

A lot of people who review this game poorly probably just don't get what it's about. Yes, you have to work for your levels. Yes, you will have to go get your corpse when you die. Yes, it might take you 20 minutes to ride your horse to a good location to hunt. Yes, you will feel very rewarded in the end!

Great game Sigil. The servers are rock solid (the only downtime is the scheduled downtime) and there have been tons of bug fixes since the game came out. There are still plenty of bugs to fix of course, but I am seeing constant progress in the weekly patches.

Highly recommend this game, come see me on Varking... The name's Saladin... Send me a tell with any questions you have.

Review Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Next 

Actions