I liked the review.....

It was the honest experience of someone just starting out in the geme. There was no hype or bias she wasnt saying you MUST buy this game its the greatest thing since sliced bread etc etc... She even mentioned some of the bugs that still haunt VG. I would have to say it was a fair assessment of the beginners experience. I would like to see a more in depth review in 6 to 8 months when they have reached the high level content and seen how the game plays long term.

Oh on a side note people who have crappy computers shouldnt beat this game down just because their system is junk. Dont assume this game is going to run well on your computer just because WOW did. Unless you have a P4 3.0 ghz processor, at least 2GB of RAM and an ati x1600 or higher or nvidia 7900 or better your system is dated and you need to upgrade

VG is just the beginning. Games like AOC will require just as tough a machine if not more so to run. I suggest you start saving your pennies and shopping around if you are planning to enjoy this generations pc games.

Originally posted by Amathe
Advertising on mmorpg.com = good reviews on mmorpg.com

Originally posted by Rattrap

Yet another , biased semi propagandal preview.

Let me give you the real deal

Vanguard is released 6 months before it is ready.

Is it a good MMO , it is.... If you liked original EQ combined with bit of WoWish flavor.
Actually so many things of original EQ made crossover to Vanguard.

The world is big, huge. But also not as well fleshed out like let say WoW or EQ2. You will feel very generic , randomly placed monsters
and generally uninteresting locations.

However Vanguard is home of potentional. And will easily become the best hack&slash fantasy mmo in years to come.

Reviewer also forgets to mention how greatly unoptimised game engine is. And how playing the game on any but top of the line PCs equals frustration.

 

So my advice is

Vanguard will be great game when it is "really" ready to release , and if by then you purchase new PC - You will be in for a treat

Rattrap you haven't seen the game since the release patch which took out all the debugging code; Vanguard plays perfectly now. No more memory hitching and instead of laggin when there are 3 people around I don't even lag when there are like 15 people around now. It is ready to release. There are still bugs but its playing like a dream.

Just because your experience doesn't mirror hers doesn't mean she is wrong and in fact it was a very objective review of someone simply reporting her experience.  Get over it.

Originally posted by Rattrap

Is it a good MMO , it is.... If you liked original EQ combined with bit of WoWish flavor.
Actually so many things of original EQ made crossover to Vanguard.

Originally posted by Rattrap

Yet another , biased semi propagandal preview.

Let me give you the real deal

Vanguard is released 6 months before it is ready.

Is it a good MMO , it is.... If you liked original EQ combined with bit of WoWish flavor.
Actually so many things of original EQ made crossover to Vanguard.

The world is big, huge. But also not as well fleshed out like let say WoW or EQ2. You will feel very generic , randomly placed monsters
and generally uninteresting locations.

However Vanguard is home of potentional. And will easily become the best hack&slash fantasy mmo in years to come.

Reviewer also forgets to mention how greatly unoptimised game engine is. And how playing the game on any but top of the line PCs equals frustration.

 

So my advice is

Vanguard will be great game when it is "really" ready to release , and if by then you purchase new PC - You will be in for a treat

Nice review, how can you say the reviewer is biased anyway look? at the last line 'it's good but theres still annoying bugs' pointing out the game isn't 'OMG it's the best thing since sliced bread!!' which TBH any review from this site people 'claim' they seem to say about any game that isn't 'their' game. We've already astabished that it's not 'a WoW beater' and the game isn't perfect and we know a lot of players hate it because it doesn't cover 'X,Y or Z' but look at at this way a lot of the 'critics' belong to that '8 millon' that 'WoW' currently has, Vanguard isn't 'like' WoW or EQ2 becuase it wont apeal to that type of gamer witch essenally WoW brought to the MMO table, Vanguard will pull the 'others'  that have been looking for 'the next EQ' so like many have said it's filled a void we've had for a while now 

Vanguard is techally 'EQ2' more then EQ2 is (as EQ2 is becomming more and more like WoW to try and get it's own chunk of that '8 million') Vanguard has taken of 'old views' of the 1st gen/era titles (EQ/UO), spliced some ideas and tools from the 2nd gen/era (WoW/EVE/EQ2) to create the first of the 3rd gen/era titles (which I'm not going to go into that much over the '3rd gen' debate). Vanguard isn't trying to be a 'game' it's trying to be a MUD/RPG, which TBH was lost within the 2nd gen/era titles in some places and it's done that very well IMO, sure it's ragged and ruff around the edges but it's charm is there, Vanguard will not go away as long as MMOs try to be more like WoW then be like EQ, as that 'EQ' market is still there and it's finding a home within Vanguard. 

Oh on a side note people who have crappy computers shouldnt beat this game down just because their system is junk. Dont assume this game is going to run well on your computer just because WOW did. Unless you have a P4 3.0 ghz processor, at least 2GB of RAM and an ati x1600 or higher or nvidia 7900 or better your system is dated and you need to upgrade

VG is just the beginning. Games like AOC will require just as tough a machine if not more so to run. I suggest you start saving your pennies and shopping around if you are planning to enjoy this generations pc games.

Exacxtaly why I think we're gonna have the same song and dance over AoC too we are deffinitly going to see 'ooh AoC sucks because it doesn't work on my toaster' type of comments because of the way console gaming is. just becuase the PS3 titles 100% work on PS3 and 360 titles 100% work for the 360. doesn't mean all PC titles work on any PC it''s a whole diffrent ball game and people have to remember unlike consoles it's a work tool first and a gaming platform second..

Originally posted by Vrazule
I'm not sure its a good idea to support a company that is taking shortcuts and charging players to be guinea pigs and beta testers for its unfinished game.  Many games have had launch issues in the past, but this is blatantly unfinished and they're expecting people to foot the bill before its even remotely complete.  This is very bad business and anyone who supports this kind of behavior is going to help set a precedent for future MMOs.  I find it unbelievabe that people are so desperate for online entertainment, they're willing to put up with this kind of crap.  No other business could get away with such underhanded tactics, the consumers would launch a counter attack.

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Originally posted by Chaotica
I'm going to be honest here. I have beta'd a lot of games and i have pre-ordered a few as well. I am actually afraid to try and play Vanguard right now. I got burned very badly by SWG when they changed every single aspect of the game I loved, got rid of the classes I enjoyed playing and basically rewrote the entire game... all while I was paying the piper.

---

Well your not alone about what happened with SWG, this is the main reason why Brad and co set up Sigil, to stop the SOE fiddling and to do things their way.

I believe the crunch for them was EQ2, when they realised they had not got enough control of the game and after they left it became a different beast.

The whole game design is controlled by Sigil and they are an experienced bunch. As for SOE, I think they have learn't their lesson well with SWG.

As many have said and I agree, Vanguard is the spiritual successor to EQ1. It has elements of SWG, WoW, UO, just about every good game you can find.

The preview was I believe very straight forward and fair. The bugs the reviewer experienced don't happen all the time, in fact I have only seen them a few times now, others folks more.

I am seriously impressed with this game and its launch, probably the smoothest lag free MMORP I have ever played (at launch) and I am on a highly populated EU server and expected huge lag spikes.

Currently I have a 16th level Shaman and hunting in Kaon Rush, a wonderful place with an elven outpost and undead plaguing the area. The music is just so amazing, the game is just amazing, totally addicted.

I pretty much agree with the preview.

This game has a great deal of potential.  Despite what I am reading here about the game being insta-debugged, the game was still buggy last night for me, when it crashed to desktop twice in an hour and also did this weird freeze to black and then a minute later zones back in thing.   Somebody fell through the ground yesterday and wound up dying someplace odd.  But those problems are actually decreasing.

I pre-ordered and will not cancel.  I have a Station Pass, so my subscription fees are already being paid, and the game is fun enough to play when it is not crashing.  I knew that I would buy it eventually, so I figured that I would just get it now and watch it get debugged.  I am still sampling the various starting areas, races and classes, because there really is quite a variety.  My Thestran human paladin has been doing so many diplomacy quests that she hasn't been leveling as a paladin, which is ok for now. 

Is the game ready?  No.  Is is worth playing?  It is for me, because it really has a lot of material.  Is it balanced?  No, I get the sense that they haven't finished with all of the starter content for some races and classes, because they were rushed to release.  I don't blame the design team, because they have done miracles over the past few weeks since I went into open beta.

I bought the game because it is fun, and because I have full confidence that the game will continue to improve at a quick pace.  If I hit a wall, I will take off a month or so and come back, because this game is a keeper.  It is just a shame that SOE wouldn't let Sigil finish this one right.

I cant say i was particularly that impressed with the authors preview feature , seemed to lack a little substance and didnt really say anything i didnt know.

Im going to hang on for a little while longer and see how it pans out before i buy. Been suckered into preordering before so im never gonna do it again.