Asheron's Call 2 Review

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Pros
• jaw-dropping graphics
• character flexibility
• easy to get started
• original story
• innovative music system
• easy and fun crafting system

Cons
• no thriving towns yet
• flawed collision detection

The Bottom Line - Although not cheap with a retail price of around $50 and a monthly fee just shy of $13, Asheron's Call 2 delivers an absorbing gaming experience. Furthermore, AC2's graphics are simply the best I have ever seen on a PC game.

Review

Asheron's Call 2 represents the first widely anticipated next-generation MMORPG to be released out of such high profile titles as EverQuest 2, Sims Online, World of WarCraft, and Star Wars Galaxies. With the exception of the Sims Online, which is now out, those other MMORPGs are still on the way. That said, does Asheron's Call 2 live up to all the hype and the extremely high price tag of $50 for an online-only game? That high price tag coupled with a $13 monthly fee will likely discourage some gamers from trying the game. However, AC2's absorbing game play, innovations, and beautiful graphics offer a heaping dose of bang for the buck.

Starting from the top, let's explore what it's like being in Dereth. The second you enter the game you will see just how beautiful a PC game can be. Even in the beginning where you are guided through a series of easy tutorial quests to get your feet wet in the game, you can see how "alive" the game is. Trees will blow in the wind and fires will move and make a crackling sound. Once you enter the main game play area, you will see a plethora of eye-pleasing landscapes and environments. In fact, the only aspect of the game that is not beautiful is the appearance of the various towns through out Dereth. The towns are mere shells of their former selves due to the game's storyline.

Basically, the world of AC 1 is destroyed and the 3 races survived for generations underground until their recent ascension. Instead of using an established media property or just following a common Dungeon and Dragons-type theme, AC 2 offers its own creative storyline that will be delivered in episodes. The creative storyline allows the developers more freedom and gives players the opportunity to shape the game that they are devoting time and money to.

There are three character races: Human (average), Lugian (large), and Tumerok (lean and mean). Each race has a different skill set based on three primary weapon types: melee (i.e. sword), missile (i.e. bow and javelin), and magic (i.e. staff and scepter). Each weapon type has its on skill tree that you will climb as you advance in the game. At level 15, you have the choice to train in a specialized class such as a Human Ranger (missile), Human Defender (melee) a Human Bounty Hunter (melee), a Human Sorcerer (magic), or a Lugian Beserker.

All of these choices are made better by the fact that you are not stuck going just one route with your character. For example, you may start with a human melee character but you like the way that other characters are able to kill monsters from a distance with their bows. No problem, just untrain all your melee skills and put them into missile. You will not be penalized by a single experience point for changing your character's focus.

Last but not least is the game's music system. As you go from quest to quest, you will see people gathered together with musical instruments in their hands. These instruments are not just for show because you can play actual music on them! You don't even have to know how an instruments works in order to play it. This type of social interaction helps players gather together in a massive world that has no established towns yet where they can socialize and trade.

The only complaints besides the current lack of towns and trade are that you can get "hung up" in cave walls or in the mountains. By "hung up" i mean that although you see your character past a certain point like climbing over a rock, the game will sometimes pull you back to an earlier spot. This does not happen too often, but it can be a problem when you are being chased by several monsters at once.

Other than those two minor complaints, Asheron's Call 2 offers an engrossing entertainment experience that no gamer should miss. Why wait around a year on EverQuest 2 when you can play AC 2 right now?

Game Ogre's Rating (out of 10):

8.75

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