I hated Rift. I beta tested it and was disappointed with how similar Rift was to other games such as WoW and Everquest and all those other MMOs (despite all the claims saying Rift is "ground breaking")
Seriously, I am a veteran of World of Warcraft (I had been playing ever since Vanilla WoW first came out) and after all the money I spent for WoW's fees and expansions, I don't see the point in paying another $50 just to get another game that is pretty much the same thing
[quote]"...is trying to be better than what’s already out there by blending together and improving upon the best features of MMO games of the past." Suzi Ford[/quote]
How so? Because I see the 'sameness' being pasted into a very small world. If there are improvements on the game mechanics they just copied I'd like to know what they are.
[quote]"...is trying to be better than what’s already out there by blending together and improving upon the best features of MMO games of the past." Suzi Ford[/quote]
How so? Because I see the 'sameness' being pasted into a very small world. If there are improvements on the game mechanics they just copied I'd like to know what they are.
Well, I thought this was a very good article and it mirrors my experience of Rift so far. For me I think this is the most fun I've had in an mmo for many, many years. The fact the game works and is polished from the start is fantastic, but that alone doesn't make the game great (it just highlights how poor other games have been at launch I guess),
I think the actual game content and Rift system along with the class customisation options is what makes the game great. A few things I've personally found interesting are that some of the critics will say things like 'oh, it's a carbon copy of Wow' yet I have played Wow on and off for years and it never clicked with me like Rift has. People saying 'it doesn't do anything new or better than anything else'. Well then I think they mustn't have really experienced the rift system in full action, if you only played up to the very early teens then the first few rift experiences can seem like nothing more than warhammers pq's, but as you level up and experience the different rifts and invasions, well it really is something that no other mmo I've played can offer.
Sure, the game won't be for everyone, so those who only like sandbox games are probably not going to like it, but there is no point complaining that it isn't sandbox as this was never what it set out to do, and I'm sure there are many who like sandbox games that can enjoy Rift also. I know I'm one of them, I'm also playing Xsyon at the minute and really enjoying it but that doesn't mean I can't take Rift for what it is and enjoy it immensely.
I think you always have to be careful about how glowing you get about a game at launch as that 'new mmo glow' can soon wear off, but in this case I simply can't help myself. Rift is the best launch I've experienced in many years and so far the best 'themepark' experience mmo I've played.
I am just happy we had a MMO release that is not riddled with bugs, server crashes, and lag. And the bonus of having all the content work and be in game, is a stunning suprise to me.
This game may not be for anyone but I am going to give Trion my money just for making a game that actually works at release. I was beginning to wonder if that was even possible anymore.
Really? Who is better right now in this genre. Don't name a FPS. WoW? EQ, EQ2? Aion? WAR? Vanguard? Trion just stomped on each of them. They called out Blizzard and told them to bring it on and Blizzard is playing the silent game while there core base is leaving in droves.
Really? Who is better right now in this genre. Don't name a FPS. WoW? EQ, EQ2? Aion? WAR? Vanguard? Trion just stomped on each of them. They called out Blizzard and told them to bring it on and Blizzard is playing the silent game while there core base is leaving in droves.
But seriously, isnt there ANYONE on the MMORPG.COM staff that likes sandbox titles with a little bit of depth?
I thought everyone here loved EVE
It is old news, and space based, FFA PvP which makes it quite of a nische game (even more so than for just sandbox).
If you don't like theme parks then simply do not play theme park style games. This game is obviously a game for people who love theme park style... Don't see what the problem is with that. The kinda game you want, might not be the kind of game other people want.
I'm liking these staff impressions "wrap-up" style articles guys. As long as you're giving us your honest feedback I'll be interested in reading them.
I agreed with little things mentioned by various staff members, but in summary - for a game that wasn't even close to being on my gaming radar 6 months ago, I'm very impressed and having a great time.
I hope Trion continues to show as much responsiveness and initiative as they have so far, and continue to add content. If they do, they may be onto a winner.
My only 2 criticisms are:
1) Races all feel the same now that they've removed/"balanced" some of the racial abilities. If I play a dwarf mage, it's probably for comedic reasons, and I want to suck hard...I don't want to be exactly the same as the opposing elven mage. Please games developers....I'm not an RP'er, but if you just added a little bit of uniqueness to the races it would help by immersion immeasurably!
2) Rifts seem to spawn maybe a little too much? I know populations are high at the moment,but it seems you can't run 20 ft without coming across a rift. So much so that I've got to the point of ignoring them if I actually want to complete any tasks. Make them a little rarer, and it will add to the drama and excitement. If they only spawned now and then I'd be running across the map to help stop one, rather than making me think "ho hum, another rift, I'd love to help...but this is the 3rd one in 10 minutes and I really need to hand in these cotton shoes I made"
But seriously, isnt there ANYONE on the MMORPG.COM staff that likes sandbox titles with a little bit of depth?
I too have to wonder this sometimes. Of course we need a new sandbox for them to look at so we can find out. Therein lies the problem. Not many new sandboxes for the staff to play in, ya know? If there was....I'd be racing them to the shovel and bucket.
I play and like a lot of themepark games, as well as loving ones with strong sandbox elements, I just found Rift to be a super boring example of the model.
'Themepark' isnt an excuse to make unambitious, derivative, narrow in scope games with minimal fluff.
And people, please stop using the 'polish' word? 'Polish' dosent usually mean 'it works'. 'Polish' is the 'oh wow' extras and extra details that goes in AFTER it works. Rift isnt 'polished', it just works.
The use of the 'polish' word in the way it has been used in the hyping of this game is brilliant piece of marketing though by Trion. Way to use what should be a minimum requirement in a game as a major selling point lol.
I play and like a lot of themepark games, as well as loving ones with strong sandbox elements, I just found Rift to be a super boring example of the model.
'Themepark' isnt an excuse to make unambitious, derivative, narrow in scope games with minimal fluff.
And people, please stop using the 'polish' word? 'Polish' dosent usually mean 'it works'. 'Polish' is the 'oh wow' extras and extra details that goes in AFTER it works. Rift isnt 'polished', it just works.
The use of the 'polish' word in the way it has been used in the hyping of this game is brilliant piece of marketing though by Trion. Way to use what should be a minimum requirement in a game as a major selling point lol.
We shouldn't use polish?
Direct me to a polished sandbox game and then you can argue whether polish is an important feature or not.
Really? Who is better right now in this genre. Don't name a FPS. WoW? EQ, EQ2? Aion? WAR? Vanguard? Trion just stomped on each of them. They called out Blizzard and told them to bring it on and Blizzard is playing the silent game while there core base is leaving in droves.
Blizz probably know that even the majority of casual gamers will be done with this game in 4-6 weeks and be right back with them.
Just because someone 'calls you out' it is sometimes better for perosnal dignity to simply ignore them and let time tell.
I play and like a lot of themepark games, as well as loving ones with strong sandbox elements, I just found Rift to be a super boring example of the model.
'Themepark' isnt an excuse to make unambitious, derivative, narrow in scope games with minimal fluff.
And people, please stop using the 'polish' word? 'Polish' dosent usually mean 'it works'. 'Polish' is the 'oh wow' extras and extra details that goes in AFTER it works. Rift isnt 'polished', it just works.
The use of the 'polish' word in the way it has been used in the hyping of this game is brilliant piece of marketing though by Trion. Way to use what should be a minimum requirement in a game as a major selling point lol.
We shouldn't use polish?
Direct me to a polished sandbox game and then you can argue whether polish is an important feature or not.
No, you missed my point.
I am saying that 'working' isnt 'polish'. It is just 'working'. You maybe need to reread my post.
And this isnt about themepark vs sandbox... I really have no idea why you are trying to make it so.
Maybe I'm just trying to find a polished sandbox game to play. No, games still years in development don't count. Life is too short to wait for things that may never materialise.
When do Rifts stop being zerg fests? I tried a few and it was simply tagging mobs, healing the person that has aggro (who would inevitably die), and then on to the next task.
Also the article made note about flashy animations? Are you talking about caster animations? Those were the only ones I didn't really get a chance to check out.
I tried a few melee animations as well as the hunter/ranger animations and they were downright dreadful. Combat felt about as plain as Warhammer.
Hard quesiton to answer really. You see, a rift mob can be approached differently depending on how many people you have and what you can do about them.
You can go without a tank and then you start losing dps left and right despite your best efforts at healing.
Your dps may get smart so they start using their slows and other abilities in rotation, thus kitting the mobs and taking less damage. Usually you do lose people here as well, but not as many as above.
You go with a tank. You need less people and given some decent careful pulling you can have the same result twice the force of the previous example was necessary.
You go with two tanks. Unless you're a warden, one of the tanks dies (or both) because you try to pre-heal and can't keep up with the damage if you need to switch around.
A lot of things can happen in a seamingly tank and spank rift. Sometimes all it takes is a trigger happy person to hit an idol for example and have all invasions coming at you and wiping your raid.
The above assume that you're battling rifts appropriate to your level and not facerolling vs lower level ones.
Invasions are a different ball game. Also when invasions clash with both a guardian and a defiant raid makes for some insane fun gameplay, but that's for PvP servers only.
The thing is, for now the zerg vs rifts will usually be there since most people are of similar level range. Things will probably normalise in say 15 days from now.
@Divlas Let's keep in mind that this is NOT a review, merely the game experiences of a couple players. The review will be issued in a month or so.
For those who want more coverage of sandbox titles: There is a box on the right side of your screen that says "know something we don't" that allows you to submit news tips.
Teh, IMVPO even staff is permitted to their own opinion.
This idea that reviews are objective is just a myth anyway. So I advise the advanced reader to try to differ between what is opinion and what is fact. It's not so hard to read.
That aside, I can't share the notion of the staff, however. (While I can respect that some see the game this way.) I agree it is beautiful. I can't understand why some say otherwise here. But I found the game quests utterly bland, the combat conservative, replayability zero and overall I felt quited bored around level 20+. And as I said many times, the respawn is WAAAAY too fast and hectic for my taste.
I agree that the cities and hubs are lifeless. Alas an issue of many MMOs. Something WOW just has made SO much better.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Really? Who is better right now in this genre. Don't name a FPS. WoW? EQ, EQ2? Aion? WAR? Vanguard? Trion just stomped on each of them. They called out Blizzard and told them to bring it on and Blizzard is playing the silent game while there core base is leaving in droves.
Blizz probably know that even the majority of casual gamers will be done with this game in 4-6 weeks and be right back with them.
Just because someone 'calls you out' it is sometimes better for perosnal dignity to simply ignore them and let time tell.
I think Rift shows us that you need to do a lot to pull the casual gamers from WoW. I think SW:TOR and GW2 might be able to pull some from from the Blizzard cash cow, but RIFT reminds me of Aion, once the initial novelty wares off folks will abandon it for other games. The rifts themselves are just zerg fests, so subtract that and there is very little on offer that isn't done better and cheaper elsewhere. I just hope the staff here don't go crazy and start throwing an Aion-like huge score at the game as it is misleading and casuals may mistakenly head to the game and pay full price plus a sub, and discover in the end that it is only for the hardcore few who will exploit the Rift mechanics best.
I'm surprised one of the staff members mentioned actually enjoying reading the quest text. This is one game where I was passing on most of the quest text 'cause it was simply too boring. It was fine at the beginning during the tutorial area, but not long after got boring.
Honesly, nowadays, I'd prefer if there were fewer quests in an MMO - but the quests there were actually mattered and were awesome. I'd rather long, drawn-out quest chains that are awesome from the beginning and end very epic and rewardingly.
I'm surprised one of the staff members mentioned actually enjoying reading the quest text. This is one game where I was passing on most of the quest text 'cause it was simply too boring. It was fine at the beginning during the tutorial area, but not long after got boring.
Honesly, nowadays, I'd prefer if there were fewer quests in an MMO - but the quests there were actually mattered and were awesome. I'd rather long, drawn-out quest chains that are awesome from the beginning and end very epic and rewardingly.
But that's just me.
No, not just you. I am SO tired of mindless quests. :I
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Comments
I can't wait to try RIFT out.
Ceiling Lights
I hated Rift. I beta tested it and was disappointed with how similar Rift was to other games such as WoW and Everquest and all those other MMOs (despite all the claims saying Rift is "ground breaking")
Seriously, I am a veteran of World of Warcraft (I had been playing ever since Vanilla WoW first came out) and after all the money I spent for WoW's fees and expansions, I don't see the point in paying another $50 just to get another game that is pretty much the same thing
[quote]"...is trying to be better than what’s already out there by blending together and improving upon the best features of MMO games of the past." Suzi Ford[/quote]
How so? Because I see the 'sameness' being pasted into a very small world. If there are improvements on the game mechanics they just copied I'd like to know what they are.
Keyword: Trying.
They just aren't doing a very good job of it.
Well, I thought this was a very good article and it mirrors my experience of Rift so far. For me I think this is the most fun I've had in an mmo for many, many years. The fact the game works and is polished from the start is fantastic, but that alone doesn't make the game great (it just highlights how poor other games have been at launch I guess),
I think the actual game content and Rift system along with the class customisation options is what makes the game great. A few things I've personally found interesting are that some of the critics will say things like 'oh, it's a carbon copy of Wow' yet I have played Wow on and off for years and it never clicked with me like Rift has. People saying 'it doesn't do anything new or better than anything else'. Well then I think they mustn't have really experienced the rift system in full action, if you only played up to the very early teens then the first few rift experiences can seem like nothing more than warhammers pq's, but as you level up and experience the different rifts and invasions, well it really is something that no other mmo I've played can offer.
Sure, the game won't be for everyone, so those who only like sandbox games are probably not going to like it, but there is no point complaining that it isn't sandbox as this was never what it set out to do, and I'm sure there are many who like sandbox games that can enjoy Rift also. I know I'm one of them, I'm also playing Xsyon at the minute and really enjoying it but that doesn't mean I can't take Rift for what it is and enjoy it immensely.
I think you always have to be careful about how glowing you get about a game at launch as that 'new mmo glow' can soon wear off, but in this case I simply can't help myself. Rift is the best launch I've experienced in many years and so far the best 'themepark' experience mmo I've played.
I am just happy we had a MMO release that is not riddled with bugs, server crashes, and lag. And the bonus of having all the content work and be in game, is a stunning suprise to me.
This game may not be for anyone but I am going to give Trion my money just for making a game that actually works at release. I was beginning to wonder if that was even possible anymore.
Really? Who is better right now in this genre. Don't name a FPS. WoW? EQ, EQ2? Aion? WAR? Vanguard? Trion just stomped on each of them. They called out Blizzard and told them to bring it on and Blizzard is playing the silent game while there core base is leaving in droves.
I highly doubt that.
If you don't like theme parks then simply do not play theme park style games. This game is obviously a game for people who love theme park style... Don't see what the problem is with that. The kinda game you want, might not be the kind of game other people want.
"When it comes to GW2 any game is fair game"
I'm liking these staff impressions "wrap-up" style articles guys. As long as you're giving us your honest feedback I'll be interested in reading them.
I agreed with little things mentioned by various staff members, but in summary - for a game that wasn't even close to being on my gaming radar 6 months ago, I'm very impressed and having a great time.
I hope Trion continues to show as much responsiveness and initiative as they have so far, and continue to add content. If they do, they may be onto a winner.
My only 2 criticisms are:
1) Races all feel the same now that they've removed/"balanced" some of the racial abilities. If I play a dwarf mage, it's probably for comedic reasons, and I want to suck hard...I don't want to be exactly the same as the opposing elven mage. Please games developers....I'm not an RP'er, but if you just added a little bit of uniqueness to the races it would help by immersion immeasurably!
2) Rifts seem to spawn maybe a little too much? I know populations are high at the moment,but it seems you can't run 20 ft without coming across a rift. So much so that I've got to the point of ignoring them if I actually want to complete any tasks. Make them a little rarer, and it will add to the drama and excitement. If they only spawned now and then I'd be running across the map to help stop one, rather than making me think "ho hum, another rift, I'd love to help...but this is the 3rd one in 10 minutes and I really need to hand in these cotton shoes I made"
Any chance we can see Trions sci fi MMO in development because I am enjoying RIFT
yet another article about RIFT, twice in a week. are they paid to do so? soooo overated....
Which FF Character Are You?
The game just launched in Europe today. What exactly do you expect?
I too have to wonder this sometimes. Of course we need a new sandbox for them to look at so we can find out. Therein lies the problem. Not many new sandboxes for the staff to play in, ya know? If there was....I'd be racing them to the shovel and bucket.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I play and like a lot of themepark games, as well as loving ones with strong sandbox elements, I just found Rift to be a super boring example of the model.
'Themepark' isnt an excuse to make unambitious, derivative, narrow in scope games with minimal fluff.
And people, please stop using the 'polish' word? 'Polish' dosent usually mean 'it works'. 'Polish' is the 'oh wow' extras and extra details that goes in AFTER it works. Rift isnt 'polished', it just works.
The use of the 'polish' word in the way it has been used in the hyping of this game is brilliant piece of marketing though by Trion. Way to use what should be a minimum requirement in a game as a major selling point lol.
We shouldn't use polish?
Direct me to a polished sandbox game and then you can argue whether polish is an important feature or not.
Blizz probably know that even the majority of casual gamers will be done with this game in 4-6 weeks and be right back with them.
Just because someone 'calls you out' it is sometimes better for perosnal dignity to simply ignore them and let time tell.
No, you missed my point.
I am saying that 'working' isnt 'polish'. It is just 'working'. You maybe need to reread my post.
And this isnt about themepark vs sandbox... I really have no idea why you are trying to make it so.
Maybe I'm just trying to find a polished sandbox game to play. No, games still years in development don't count. Life is too short to wait for things that may never materialise.
When do Rifts stop being zerg fests? I tried a few and it was simply tagging mobs, healing the person that has aggro (who would inevitably die), and then on to the next task.
Also the article made note about flashy animations? Are you talking about caster animations? Those were the only ones I didn't really get a chance to check out.
I tried a few melee animations as well as the hunter/ranger animations and they were downright dreadful. Combat felt about as plain as Warhammer.
Hard quesiton to answer really. You see, a rift mob can be approached differently depending on how many people you have and what you can do about them.
You can go without a tank and then you start losing dps left and right despite your best efforts at healing.
Your dps may get smart so they start using their slows and other abilities in rotation, thus kitting the mobs and taking less damage. Usually you do lose people here as well, but not as many as above.
You go with a tank. You need less people and given some decent careful pulling you can have the same result twice the force of the previous example was necessary.
You go with two tanks. Unless you're a warden, one of the tanks dies (or both) because you try to pre-heal and can't keep up with the damage if you need to switch around.
A lot of things can happen in a seamingly tank and spank rift. Sometimes all it takes is a trigger happy person to hit an idol for example and have all invasions coming at you and wiping your raid.
The above assume that you're battling rifts appropriate to your level and not facerolling vs lower level ones.
Invasions are a different ball game. Also when invasions clash with both a guardian and a defiant raid makes for some insane fun gameplay, but that's for PvP servers only.
The thing is, for now the zerg vs rifts will usually be there since most people are of similar level range. Things will probably normalise in say 15 days from now.
Teh, IMVPO even staff is permitted to their own opinion.
This idea that reviews are objective is just a myth anyway. So I advise the advanced reader to try to differ between what is opinion and what is fact. It's not so hard to read.
That aside, I can't share the notion of the staff, however. (While I can respect that some see the game this way.) I agree it is beautiful. I can't understand why some say otherwise here. But I found the game quests utterly bland, the combat conservative, replayability zero and overall I felt quited bored around level 20+. And as I said many times, the respawn is WAAAAY too fast and hectic for my taste.
I agree that the cities and hubs are lifeless. Alas an issue of many MMOs. Something WOW just has made SO much better.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I think Rift shows us that you need to do a lot to pull the casual gamers from WoW. I think SW:TOR and GW2 might be able to pull some from from the Blizzard cash cow, but RIFT reminds me of Aion, once the initial novelty wares off folks will abandon it for other games. The rifts themselves are just zerg fests, so subtract that and there is very little on offer that isn't done better and cheaper elsewhere. I just hope the staff here don't go crazy and start throwing an Aion-like huge score at the game as it is misleading and casuals may mistakenly head to the game and pay full price plus a sub, and discover in the end that it is only for the hardcore few who will exploit the Rift mechanics best.
I'm surprised one of the staff members mentioned actually enjoying reading the quest text. This is one game where I was passing on most of the quest text 'cause it was simply too boring. It was fine at the beginning during the tutorial area, but not long after got boring.
Honesly, nowadays, I'd prefer if there were fewer quests in an MMO - but the quests there were actually mattered and were awesome. I'd rather long, drawn-out quest chains that are awesome from the beginning and end very epic and rewardingly.
But that's just me.
No, not just you. I am SO tired of mindless quests. :I
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert