[Review] Ragnarok Online II: Can It Fill the Shoes of the Original?

SBFord

Ragnarok Online has been wildly popular for many years so players have been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Ragnarok Online 2. We've taken a hard look at RO2 and offer up our official review. See if you agree with our findings or not before heading to the comments to discuss.

For a good portion of this gaming generation, many of have played or at least glanced at Ragnarok Online. Apparently enough of us have played at least once or twice (millions in fact) it to spawn a sequel, and now Ragnarok Online 2 has stepped up to the plate to fill the rather big shoes of the original. Sporting brand new 3D graphics, while still maintaining the childish charm, I was actually surprised to see Ragnarok Online 2 as populated as it was. I can tell some might be playing it purely out of nostalgia but for the most part the game is decent enough play for a spell. This is especially true if you’re bored and can’t afford something that’s more robust and entertaining in general.  But it’s not quite the same.

Read more of Tyler Rowe's Ragnarok Online 2: Can It Fill the Shoes of the Original?

flizzer

I'm starting to think MMORPG got the message and is rating games more in line with what the majority of forum people feel is accurate. 

SomeHuman

I agree with your review.  I'd like to see more commentary on challenge level in gameplay.  This game was NOT challenging in the least.

Purutzil

Short answer: Hell no. Its sad to see Ragnarok turn into such a state. They seem to just drowned the game away not realizing what had made the first so great. The cash shop itself to be fair isn't exactly the maker's fault, but its still a problem to see it sold somewhere that is trying to rake in money in such a fashion. 

Gameplay in RO1 was great (top down wise), it lacked in things outside grinding monsters but at the same time it was enjoyable. The style it had was just fun to play with. Its silly they moved away from it to be a generic style MMo. People didn't play RO1 because it was 'the same' as other games, they played it because it was a bit different. It took the old isometric gameplay and evolved upon it in its own way.

Lets say though 'no one wants to play that style anymore' (I feel its false considering we got games like League of Legends thats so popular but eh lets give it that benefit). The issue is one of its biggest drawing points was the classes. The classes in Ragnarok Online stood out so much. You could build your character the way you wanted to and it felt meaningful, picking the stats and skills and creating your won character with so many different classes to play with different options. RO2 has dumbed it down greatly and lost many of the classes. Its all so generic, the new mechanics feel so filled in and just don't add at all to the game.

RO2 just feels so... generic... Its a real shame they didn't just try taking RO1 and advancing it in the same style with much better technology to create a much smoother game with a lot more things that can be done. Instead, it feels like took the wrong elements that they thought made RO "Good" such as just reusing the monsters and the locations (which btw, the world isn't anything like the old one its made linear and non sense) and just thought throwing the old class names and looks would make it work.

Sadly, it seems the dreams of a REAL RO2 won't be realized. 

DamonVile

When they add real pay to win to a game ( that's buying stats free players can't get ) it doesn't matter what other good or bad the game offers...it's just a bad game not worth playing.

haplo602

Did you play the original RO ? If yes, then you'd know that cards were like enhancement runes, they added properties to weapons and armor. Maybe they changed that in RO2, but since it was a major feature in the first game, I doubt that ....

 

Wanted to play since the original was lots of fun for me but the DRM made me reconsider.

BadSpock

I liked the art style, loved the animations.

Gameplay was just far too generic, pace of combat was just too slow and "questing" was a poor attempt at covering a mob grind.

Original RO was fun because the combat speed was a lot faster and there was no failed attempt at covering the grind.

Find a dungeon, grind mobs, quickly kill and loot for hours and fun.

RO2 broke that. Sad... because the art style and animation were really, really well done.

angerbeaver

FFIX had cards? Wasn't that FFVIII?

Deeter

No this game is boring as hell on rails themepark nonsense with 2003-era kMMO gameplay and all the cool monsters are for 5 or ten people in a secluded instance only

I repeat this is a game that looks and feels like it was made to copy WoW during it's closed beta phase. It's really boring and buggy

derek39

RO2 should not have been made at all in total 3D personally. Just revamped 2D isoteric. Thats the main reason I played RO1, The art was just fantastic.

Maybe a shallow reason to play a game but anyone who is or was a fan knows what im talking about. =P

RO2 is so typical MMO it's, quite frankly, Disgusting.

derek39

Isometric* my bad

DarkVagabond

Originally posted by angerbeaver
FFIX had cards? Wasn't that FFVIII?

They both did.

Siveria

All I can say is no, it cannot fill the shoes of the orignal at all, it has some monsters from it but thats about where the simmlarities end, past that its just your generic wow clone thats boring as shit since you pretty much just spam one button over and over for combat. I played for a bit but quit because the game was just too boring. If your thinking ro2 is anything like the orignal... don't, just assume ro2 has nothing to do with how the orignal plays, and you may enjoy it, but if you try to think its a replacement for ro1, you'll be sorely dissapointed. I had hopes for the game till I played it, and found out its just another generic plain mmo.

Vlacke

So what we actually have here is another rather boring repetitive Asian MMO with an emphasis on grind and a money grabbing cash shop that reeks of pay to win, sub par graphics and poor optimization.

No surprise there since the Asians simply cannot make anything that even remotely resembles to a decent MMO (Final Fantasy aside of course, but that is a different story completely).

Also it has to be said that the game has a very healthy population not because it's any good, because it most certainly is not, but because it's on Steam, anything you can find there that is free to play has a decent enough population, no matter how bad it actually is.

Torrmwyre

Originally posted by angerbeaver

FFIX had cards? Wasn't that FFVIII?

Yep! I spent many hours just walking around to random npcs asking to play haha.

aspekx

the gfx for the original RO2 were a lot better i thought. sadly they ditched that and a few other very cool things from that game. i was sad to see it go and still really dont understand the reasons given.

i enjoy hopping on for a bit at a time. its a fun little children's game that can be quite relaxing. i don't pay, nor plan on paying, primarily b/c im only casually attached to this game.

Hellidol

I love how you put the unethical cash shops, GREAT write up OP.  We need more people pointing out stuff like this so the companies get the hint.

Synns77

Nothing but kill quests, looks wise I quite liked it but after a few days playing I had no choice but to delete it. Boring and uninspiring unfortunately.

Ralstlin

cant wait for FFXIV: ARR Review

zasten

"most people will want to let leave this title for the carrion"

Add me to this list!

Artaios

NO!

RO is brilliant!

This Game sucks!

blohm86

I played this game once...

 

BACK IN 1991!

MidBoss

I'm confused Mr. Rowe, are you objecting to the art because it doesn't really fit with Norse Mythology? Or just because you didn't like it?

Either way this review is pretty much correct. RO2 is generic and "safe" as it gets, which is a shame considering it's legacy.

LeftStick

This review is extremely inaccurate but the game is much worse then what this states.

-The game is consumed with animation, geographical, skill, monster glitches...

-The cash shop is unethical, some "permanent" cash items expire despite what you're told. A Extra Large bag which only holds ten more then a medium bag is 20 real world dollars. Btw there is no Large bag. Their only response to this is "We'll look into this"  Otherwise so many of the items you want you have to play a gambling system. Also with the VIP it only last 30 days, and it honestly the only thing worth paying for.

-Very little end of game content. Only a few raids.

-There is a coliseum that is extremely unbalanced and glitchy, unfortunately it's required to get some of the best gear in the game. Prepare to drown in the mess that it is.

-Coming by enough Zeny without buying cash items and selling them is almost impossible and requires long hours of tedious mind numbing repetition. Which is problem as repair and travel costs become  ridiculous especially if you wanna travel around be help fellow players/guildies

-As far as the forums go they hardcore censor people to hide how bad they're failing. It's rather sad.

 

Basically it feels like they want you to be silenced paying sheep to what is a broken game that feels like they just want your money without a fair return.

 

Syldra

A big part of why RO2 is so safe is that the first version of RO2 bombed super hard.

unfortunately, gravity doesn't the kind of resources that square does to salvage a bad game.

rojoArcueid

i like the norse / anime style very much so that is a plus for me. However, the gameplay is just plain generic like other asian (and non asian) mmorpgs.

The graphics  could definitelly use more texture quality and the questing could be less generic. If they address these two things (texture quality and generic quests) i would play it longer than i did.