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So yeah, been playing the game for 3 days now, Fioan lvl 10 here. I kinda hate to play a female but since there is no other choice what the heck.
So, Vindictus, my first impressions - VERY WELL DONE.
I wasn't expecting actually from the Korean developer such well detailed game. So I'll just list things in order.
Graphics - Well, hat down - top notch. I play on MAX settings and this is one of the most gorgeous F2P games. Not even F2P, graphics in this game beat quite a few P2P MMOs. It would be awesome if game was made with DX11 support but I still give this game a strong - 9.
Interface - Its almost intuitive. There are only few slots available to bind your items to and it seems that slots are specialized as if #1 for potions only, #2 for feathers only etc. Which gives those slots sort of a focused definition and makes them more intuitive in the long run. You don't have to press gazillion of buttons to activate your 754 skills, a lot of skills in this game just extend your normal attacks - which I personally like. You feel your class specialization better this way and it fits well with all the character animations. The only con for me here is that Interface is not adjustable, you can't move shortcut bar or anything else or change position of gadgets on the screen. So I'd give the interface a good 8.
Music and Sounds - So far I haven't found anything annoying yet but i wasn't blown away either. Music is ok and sounds are appropriate, but there is room for improvement so I'll give this part as well a good 8.
Game appeal - I am one of those picky gamers who look at every little detail in the game. The way character fits into the world, the way cities are designed and how well instances are done. Those are few criterias I'll probably mention in this section. So the character fits pretty well in Vindictus world. Quests are not stupid and everything makes sense. While there is a lot of grind present its expected from F2P since there will be items added in release version that will make the grind less annoying, which will be a priority for paying customers. Towns are designed very well. I haven't seens very far yet and only one town, but I hope that Vindictus doesn't only consist of one little down and 7 boats at the docks that you have to take quests from over and over again. I hope there are more towns/villages to see and world to explore.
Game is quite heavy on instances, reminds me of DDO, and instances are quite similar, at least been so far 10 levels. I don't see a lot of changes in architecture but hoping that this will change at higher levels. I think there are chunkcs of instances made and design switches between those chunks when you teleport from one instance stage to another. It supposed to provide a smooth gameplay but so far it's been quite a bumpy ride. Mobs move like in a slideshow sometimes while game runs smooth, so there is some improvement to be done on a server side definitely.
I hope there will be more variety as the time goes by with different architecture and planning for instances, new towns to explore, new quests and story lines to complete. At this point I have to give this a 8.
Crafting - its not really presented in game as the profession itself since you have to supply the NPCs with materials and they will 'craft' the items for you if you have the mats in your bags. At this point there is little to be done in order to expand your storage, and mats simply pile up in your bags and take a lot of room. I'd say that mats supposed to have their own bags, like crafting bag etc, having only 1 bag for everything is not very well executed feature. I understand this is done this way to promote potential bag extensions sale from Item Mall, but so far I haven't been able to find any extensions for my bags. It would be good if we could have some free extension at least at leve 20. Crafting is usually mixed with the bag space so the way its done in Vindictus is a bit off. Its possible that crafting materials will also be sold on Item Mall, which makes sense considering that at this point you have to grind a lot to make a set of light armor for example. Crafting is not realy a crafting in Vindictus, its more like an item exchange system. You give me materials, I'll give you the equipment. So all these thoughts considering I'll give crafting 7.
So while the game is quite unique, battle system is very fast paced and not boring, great graphics and well designed otufits there is a lot of room for improvement. Game looks good and feels fun. Based on the sections above - overall score comes to 8.
What I want to see in Vindictus in the future:
More bosses and super bosses, more variety in instance designs, more towns, more story lines, better variety in equipment (everybody looks the same right now).
Comments
Pretty spot on for me. I agree 100% with the hope the variety gets greater at high levels. So far it has been running through the same looking ruins fighting Gnolls and smashing pots, oh and fighting some worklike things, and smashing crates, to get to the boss monster and kill it for a reward.
The stories around this have been entertaining and combat is active and fun but it definately needs more variety which I assume comes with levels, probably moving to a new town, and seeing new landscapes and enemies. I know the gnolls are the center point of the story at these lower levels so I will keep playing and hope it opens up with some more unique stuff.
The character models and moving animations are flawless. Definitely, one of the best I've seen if not the best.
I was going to write up a quick review, but now I have no need. You gave it a pretty glowing review, and that's what I wanted to do before logging back in. Too often good games don't get good press because people are actually in the game PLAYING them!
While I agree currently this fits better into Online gaming than the MMO genre, it's still, far and away, the most polished beta I've seen in a long, long time. After trying the FF14 beta in high hopes only to be greatly disappointed, this game which I had been curious of but not a follower truly crept up and knocked my socks off.
Look forward to seeing you all in the beta, and helping Nexon release a polished game that other developers can look to for comparison.
The heavily stratified structure of this game reminds me more of Mytheon than anything else. Like that game, this isn't an MMO but it is fun.
I am having a blast playing Vindictus. Though for some reason I do feel like I am playing Monster Hunter at times.
It is for sure one of the highest quality F2P games I have every played. Hell, I dare say this game could compete with some of the P2P games on the market. Not to mention it is AWESOME playing this game on my 32" HD tv sitting on my couch with a wireless gamepad.
These first impressions are Drakynn approved!You may all rest easy now and go aobut your business.
Seriosuly though those do mirror my own first impressions and I share the saem concerns/wants though I would add I'd like to see different starting zones and stories for each character too just so making alts when the other characters are released isn't tedious.
This sounds great such a shame that I'm unable to play and have to wait an age for the EU/Uk release.
Great review OP very nicely written and considered although exchanging mats for an item never felt like crafting to me (same in GW) so I would have been less kind on that score
As an MMO it gets a 0. However If you arent lookin for a typical MMO this game is downright fun.
To me it doesnt try to do alot but what little it does do its nearly flawless. This is definitly one of thoes games you can hop on once or twice a week for alittle fun for a long time to come. I've actually told quite a few friends to check it out when they get a chance. Its PERFECT for busy people who are just looking for something thats ALOT of fun to play for 30 min to an hour here and there.
Red. Overall, decent review. Few odd things caused by the lack of experience with the game, but nothing major.