Review - Warhammer Online

Right now is a tough time for MMORPG fans. Not only are there many MMOs to choose from (such as World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, and Lord of the Rings Online), but there are quite a few that are going offline because of a lack of a subscriber base (such as Tabula Rasa and Hellgate: London). It’s very important for fans of the genre to find an MMO that they will both enjoy playing and also be able to play for a long time to come. A more recent contender in the MMO circles is the high-profile Warhammer: Age of Reckoning, based on the popular pen-and-paper role-playing game by Games Workshop. Does it bring enough to the table to stand the test of time? In short: I believe so.

The idea behind WAR is that you are part of one of two factions: the Forces of Order against the Forces of Destruction. Unlike games like WoW where the two factions are warring but not necessarily “bad”, WAR is truly a battle of the good, pious Order against the dark, villainous Destruction. With such a premise, the game is focused on its player vs. player combat. As a member of either faction your goal is to cause the other faction as much grief as possible whether it is through the plot in quests, the PvP areas within each zone, or the scenarios (which are instanced PvP zones with specific criteria for success such as capturing control points or capture the flag). But with such a focus on PvP gameplay it tends to lose focus on the story.

The gameplay consists of many MMO conventions that have proven successful over the years and if you have played an MMO recently then you shouldn’t have much problem picking up the controls. The biggest change focuses on the individual classes, because they each have a mechanic that makes them very different to play from other classes. For example, the Sorcerer (a caster class for the Destruction side) builds Dark Magic points as they cast their spells, which they can use with some of their abilities to cause extra damage at the possible cost of a backlash. Each class mechanic gives the game a fresh play style.

The game looks fantastic for by MMO standards. The character models look realistic and detailed; the scenery runs a gambit of being lush and beautiful to dead and decaying pending on the area. The game looks great but with such detail it may take an upgrade to ones PC if they are a gamer who is newly interested in MMOs. Its minimum requirements will technically play the game, but it’ll look like an interactive slideshow at times and a frozen screen when the action picks up. Make sure you look up the recommended specs before you check this game out.

It is a fun game with quite a few people online on many servers. It’s generally easy to get groups for quests if needed, and you can get a feeling of accomplishment in a short time span. But with these positives comes some things to pick at. The questing aspect of the game can seem very linear at times. Depending on which side you choose, you have to stick to a linear road from one area to another. There really isn’t any reason to go exploring outside of the general areas which is a shame because I would have loved to see some areas that may have been untouched by the war. But these are rather small discrepancies when the rest of the game is as good as it is.

Rating – 8/10