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Gamedaily.com VSOH Review (02.06.07)
Lowdos
Member Posts: 644
www.gamedaily.com/vanguard-saga-of-heroes/pc/game-reviews/2780
Review : Vanguard: Saga of Heroes
Put on some walking shoes, because this game requires Forest Gump-like endurance.by Steven Wong
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes relies heavily on its sheer size to attract players. Gamers may even get lost in some of the beginning towns, since they're often spread far apart.
This game also supports three major nations, each with numerous subset races, and fifteen distinct character classes.
Geographically, this fantasy massively multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing game has it all, including wide rolling hills, towering mountains and a practically endless ocean. Of course, danger lurks around every corner, so players must take care when exploring it. It would take months to put the "If you can see it, you can get there (via walking, riding, sailing or flying)" tag line to the test, but it seems to hold true. The promise that players would encounter practically no load screens while traversing the world also holds up. Created by the same minds behind EverQuest, Vanguard represents a new generation in MMO games in just about every respect.
Of course, there are a few pitfalls. First and foremost comes from the fact that players, spread out over so many different races and servers, can be a little hard to come by. Even though Vanguard provides excellent tools for players to connect, getting a party together to tackle more complex missions (and thereby earn bigger bonuses) can be a little tough. Too bad, since getting a balanced party together can lead to some great combat combinations. Luckily, the game provides plenty of solo content and different ways to play. The most prominent mode Diplomacy, forces players to take part in a card game where two people verbally duel things out for the most points in a conversation. Diplomacy allows players to dedicate themselves to being Politicians, where they gain levels by having a deck of strong responses and using them strategically (putting less emphasis on swords and spells). Through politics, players influence entire towns, a key feature for more advanced quests.
Clothes make the hero, and players literally end up wearing many hats. Every character mode (adventuring, diplomacy, crafting and harvesting resources) requires its own specific wardrobe, which automatically switches when the player performs a related action. If some players thought it was a little rough trying to earn new armor set or weapon in other games, multiply it four times over for Vanguard, because nothing progresses without the right skills, levels and fashion. So, even with so many different modes, everything still comes down to running out into the world and killing things to make money and support the secondary professions. Taking into consideration Vanguard's robust combat system, where moves can be chained together, along with a long list of spells and abilities, standard adventuring still remains a very good option.
Above all, players will want to reach level 10 and purchase their first mount, because getting around this gigantic world quickly gets tedious. Getting from town to town (even to relatively nearby ones) can be an ordeal.
Powered by the Unreal 3 engine, grass beautifully blows in open fields and trees tower up into the sky, but it can still get stale. Not to mention, the heavy graphics, even when turned down a notch or two, can still strain mid-range computers, although graphics modestly outpace games like EverQuest II.
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Unfortunately, occasional hiccups led to death, especially when someone accidentally auto-runs into groups of aggressive foes. Furthermore, although town layouts and architecture look great and compliment the different races nicely, getting from one place to the next can get rough. Too often, key NPCs (non-player characters) end up located in some remote hut on top of a mountain, surrounded by a fence, with only one bridge leading to it. At times, they might be on the other side of a wall, or at the bottom of a cliff, so players must run all the way around town just to talk to someone. Also, stores tend to be spread out and oddly placed. For example, one would think that a person selling crafting materials would always be located near the crafting machines of every town. Unfortunately, this kind of logic doesn't always apply, creating huge amounts of down time and frustration when one runs out of key ingredients while crafting.
The minimap usually does a good job highlighting key people or places for different quests, but it doesn't always work, and can sometimes be inaccurate. Some quests inexplicably disappear or get resolved, like one that was completed by simply logging out for a while, or another that was somehow solved when the hero died en route.
It should be said that Vanguard can't be easily picked up and played. Those new to the MMO scene might be a tad overwhelmed by all of the different modes and the "Get out there and do something... anything!" kind of game play. Those who cut their teeth on World of Warcraft's action may be put off by the slower pacing and the less forgiving death penalty. Every mode, from adventuring to crafting, makes up a kind of game in itself, but they all require time and patience to bring together. Crafters need to go out to harvest resources, which entail some adventuring, etc.
That said, people willing to put in the effort will certainly be rewarded, since each level in every mode feels like a major accomplishment. Vanguard, with vast opportunities and size, requires time to grow on players. Patient gamers who enjoy tons of options will find many riches and glory here.
Final Score: 7 (out of 10)
Comments
Im bringin sexy back.
the review could say 1 (out of 10) and I'd still be having the most fun I've had in 10 years of mmorpg's
The games got some bugs but my is it fun!
With better performance, some crappy bugs killed, and established communities, add a couple more points to it imo.
Still waiting for your Holy Grail MMORPG? Interesting...
Sort of a lame review. He rates it as 7/10, but never really puts forth any of the real reasons for doing so. Slamming the game for being too large, or leveling taking more time or crafting not being a slam dunk just isn't doing the game justice. Sure, you wanna bam it for the bugs, or broken quests (one of the few valid points) fine, but saying that the game is harder than WOW (which is bascially all he did) doesn't provide a valid review in any way.
I've no complaint with the 7/10 rating, that's what I'd give it right now...(and I'm enjoying playing it btw) but they should have been more honest about the reasons why.
Once again...too much positive prose for a rating this low....
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
I would have liked to have read about some more specific experiences he had in the game. The race(s) and class(es) that he played, the levels he achieved in each of the spheres. Some contrasts between what he liked and disliked about each race and starting area he tried would have been good information to include as well.
It didn't sound like he did very much grouping at all. He touched briefly on the nice LFG tools that are included, but that finding a good group was still tough. Then he goes on to say, it didn't really matter because there was plenty of stuff to solo anyway. This leads me to believe that the reviewer didn't progress much past level 10-12 with any of his characters.
Overall I would give this review about a 5/10. Just average.
The score itself was fine, if that's what he felt it deserved. It's just that as a REVIEW of a new game, especially a MMO; it needed a lot more depth to it. It might have passed as an o.k. PREVIEW, or a FIRST LOOK type review, but it seemed kinda lack-luster as an official review.
The real reviews will be from places like gamespot and PCgamer, those who understand MMORPGs and know you have to put more than a week into it to give a comprehensive and fair review.
I agree and have to add that I NEVER visit Gamedaily or Yahoo Games for reviews...the only places I go to are Gamespy and Gamespot and read PC Gamer.
As a side note no matter what the reviews state, I'm having fun and that's all that matters to me.
Someone already said this but i have to repeat : ahem.....HOW CAN SOMEONE REVIEW A GAME LIKE VANGUARD AFTER ONE (ONE!!!!) WEEK???????? thats ridicoulus (never knew how to write that word) ......
but i must say that i agree about the grade of 7.........but its still a very fun and immersive game
There should be reviews that reflect all timescales of gameplay. One week, one month, one year.
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