I read someone, I cannot find the quote, that Rift is World of Warcraft all over again..and meant it as a compliment.

If, one wanted to play a WoW-esq game, would could comclude they'd go and play WoW. Polished and with six years worth of content. The genra as a whole is being smothered alive by WoW, and it's hoarde of look-a-likes. I suppose though we wont really see a golden age like around 2000 again. So many unique games were out then. Themepark some may have been, but all broke the shackles of Everquest right around that time. Dark Age of Camelot would be one example.

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I will be honest though, I have experienced enough Rift to decide I find it tedious, so i will be giving it a miss whatever they say. For a solo heavy RPG with such an obviously limited play length (due to the nature of themeparks and whats on offer in this one even casual gamers will probably be done with this is 4-6 weeks) I would personally rather stick to Witcher 2 or some other game that does the job much better imo then Rift.

Originally posted by Qazz

Originally posted by SuperXero89

The thing with Rift is I honestly DON'T see what it does better or WHY I should play it over WoW or especially upcoming titles like Guild Wars 2, TERA, and SW:TOR.

Of course, I never understood why WoW was such a big deal until close to five years after its release, so if Rift retains a great portion of its launch success, it may grow on me.

I wish there was a simple answer to your question.  You're not alone with the whole 'wait and see' mindset.  I think there are alot of folks waiting to see if the endgame is viable, which is valid.  Rift is replete with hype at the moment so after things calm down, some folks get a little more honest with RIFT's warts...it will be easier to make a decision.

For me, the switch was easy.  I was bored playing WoW, I'm not bored playing RIFT.  I'm not exactly sure why :D  This isn't the case for everybody, just me.

As far as this article is concerned, the writers weren't afraid to heap compliments on the game that is worthy of compliment.  Ironically, the first impression wasn't RIFT's strong point to me.  I had to give it a good look before it started to shine for me. Perhaps some folks will give RIFT a closer look.

No, I mean, I've played the game.  I was in every beta, and before that I was an alpha tester.  The problem was that I could not think of a single feature that Rift shares with other games that it does better, and while the class system is nice, it will only be a matter of time before it devolves into simply an exercise of browsing the forums to find the newest flavor of the month build.

To me, Rift feels like a slow, clunky, imitation of a mainstream themepark MMORPG made by a smallish independant game company.  Additionally, if you look around, you'll see a lot of people who share a similar mindset with you.  You're "bored playing WoW" but not bored with Rift.  That's not usually a good sign.  All that generally means is people are ready for a fresh change of scenary, and for awhile, it's nice, but once they log in and that new car smell is gone, all the game's problems become all the more glaring, and back to WoW they go.  I had the exact same first impression upon logging into DDO of all things.

I played in Rift betas 1, 2, 6, and 7, and I agree that it is basically a garden variety MMO, but highly polished.

If you're looking for something very familiar to EQ2, or WoW, or Warhammer, but done vert well with a lot of attention to detail, then Rift is a great game.

If, like me, you're waiting for that MMO that revolutionizes the gameplay itself, then this probably isn't the game for you.

It's less 'Disney-fied' than WoW, not quite as macabre as WAR, and all the mechanics work more or less like you'd expect them to in either of those games (same kinds of skills - Rogues have some equivalent to Sinister Strike, use an on-target combo system, etc. - standard skill bars, GCD, mana/health system).

I'm waiting for GW2 for something "new". I also have my eye on The Secret World, but at this point, I'm not expecting a whole lot from it.

So, yeah, in conclusion, the reviewers are basically correct. Rift is a solid garden variety MMO, with decent graphics (nothing that will blow your mind, but it looks good), few bugs, and good support.

If it were my introduction to MMO's, I would be totally into it, but over the years I've simply grown bored with the same old thing, so I've set my eyes on the horizon. Hopefully GW2 will set a new standard, or at least begin to pave the way towards something truly novel, we'll see.

"Shoulder to shoulder with the best"? Wouldn't that mean it's among the best? Why does every article on this website end up claiming that everyone has to buy Rift since it's one of the best MMORPGs? And no, the answer is not "because it is the best". Of course Rift is a fine game, but saying it's among the best and has to be bought is just not true. It's like saying "MC Donalds is selling a new burger! Everyone has to get it, now! It tastes better then all other burgers and if you haven't eaten it, you haven't lived!!!". Yes, for some people a new burger at MC Donalds is exciting and has to be bought, I agree. But that does surely not count for everyone. Same as Rift ain't for everyone. Even though those articles try to make you believe that.

I think the best way to sum up Rift is like this:

It will be the last and greatest of traditional style MMO's, before the next generation paves the way for entirely new way's of interaction and immersion.

It's a good send off and farewell to the era of MMO's we grew up with.

I'm also highly looking forward to Trion's other MMO, the so called "ScyFy Action MMO".

Rift: Really, really good game. I havent been as excited about the future of an MMO this much since EQ2 7 years ago

Originally posted by plescure

Rift: Really, really good game. I havent been as excited about the future of an MMO this much since EQ2 7 years ago

And this is only the beginning!

Prepare for SWTOR, GW2, The Secret World, ArcheAge, TERA and World of Darkness in 2011-2012, take your pick

Rift is good, for the short haul but if you are looking for a game for the long haul, go sandbox.

I did not care for rift myself. It is a complete game which is saying alot these days, but other then that its not in the league of say eq2 or wow. I myself am playing Xsyon right now too early to tell ya what I think of that yet. Also myself like everyone else I am just waiting for SWTOR. I am really waiting to see if bioware gives release date at Pax, if they do then I will not be making any changes if its comming out in the next 6 months which I personaly think it will. If they do not though I will stick with Xsyon if I like it, or I will be going back to EQ2 if I do not as I do miss EQ2 as I have not played it in about a year.

This entire line of comments just makes it clear why mmo's are so dull. It's the gamers who demand things to be easy, same old stuff, nothing too difficult, and really just social platforms for loney and bored folks. It's getting where I don't even want to play anymore because I just get tired of the complaints, the over the top arguements and overblown personalities (or those that want to be so). A revolutionary game would in most likelyhood fail badly in this cauldron of blahness. No one wants to join a game unless others are wanting to play it of which Wow is a perfect example. Nothing fantastic but the masses flocked to it in a sort of gamer stampede that really has nothing to do with the game and this function seems completely random. No reason anymore getting excited about a game unless it draws numbers and that just about guarantees boredom and more of the same.

I do like the rift idea as I detest grouping these days and this juvenile game of egoes you have to tip toe through being careful not to rock the boat, always say positive stuff and never defend yourself when faced with more than one person disagreeing with you (just smile and go along). It's become more of a social competition than an mmo where folks are more worried about how they appear to others than fighting along side others in a common cause. Blah!

In any event., here is another game hanging in the balance waiting to see if there is mass appeal or not. If so then the actual gameplay doesn't matter as the game just became socially acceptable and profitable. I think I'll stick with DCUO no matter how many jump from game to game looking for crowds of gamers they can interact with. Just pay no mind to having fun as it isn't about that any more.

I gave RIFT a shot and played from BETA 3 to 7. I enjoyed it, it's very polished, Trion has done an amazing job at listening to their community and responding with actual fixes in record time. It's truly amazing how Trion can launch a very stable and polished content, and work so quickly on the community issues even when they are only 1 month away from Launch.

They have balls, that's for sure. It's the kind of company that can quickly gain the trust of it's playerbase and keep it happy. They are clearly very well organized, and really makes me wonder why other companies are unable to do something similar. Rather, it's appalling how companies are unable to release a polished product, let alone a stable one, when Trion makes it look so easy.

Sadly, as much as I want to love RIFT, it's just not for me. I enjoyed some of it's features, but the game just doesn't grow on me, nor hold my attention for very long (I've only reached Lv.21 throughout BETA). It's definitively "fun", but I need something different than what RIFT can offer, and what Trion wants to offer. That being said, RIFT will no doubt be an extremely succesfull title, and I look forward to see just how much the game will grow.

I can't wait to try RIFT out.

Ceiling Lights

I hated Rift. I beta tested it and was disappointed with how similar Rift was to other games such as WoW and Everquest and all those other MMOs (despite all the claims saying Rift is "ground breaking")

Seriously, I am a veteran of World of Warcraft (I had been playing ever since Vanilla WoW first came out) and after all the money I spent for WoW's fees and expansions, I don't see the point in paying another $50 just to get another game that is pretty much the same thing :/

[quote]"...is trying to be better than what’s already out there by blending together and improving upon the best features of MMO games of the past." Suzi Ford[/quote]

How so? Because I see the 'sameness' being pasted into a very small world. If there are improvements on the game mechanics they just copied I'd like to know what they are.

Originally posted by King_Kumquat

[quote]"...is trying to be better than what’s already out there by blending together and improving upon the best features of MMO games of the past." Suzi Ford[/quote]

How so? Because I see the 'sameness' being pasted into a very small world. If there are improvements on the game mechanics they just copied I'd like to know what they are.

Keyword: Trying.

They just aren't doing a very good job of it.

Well, I thought this was a very good article and it mirrors my experience of Rift so far. For me I think this is the most fun I've had in an mmo for many, many years. The fact the game works and is polished from the start is fantastic, but that alone doesn't make the game great (it just highlights how poor other games have been at launch I guess),

I think the actual game content and Rift system along with the class customisation options is what makes the game great. A few things I've personally found interesting are that some of the critics will say things like 'oh, it's a carbon copy of Wow' yet I have played Wow on and off for years and it never clicked with me like Rift has. People saying 'it doesn't do anything new or better than anything else'. Well then I think they mustn't have really experienced the rift system in full action, if you only played up to the very early teens then the first few rift experiences can seem like nothing more than warhammers pq's, but as you level up and experience the different rifts and invasions, well it really is something that no other mmo I've played can offer.

Sure, the game won't be for everyone, so those who only like sandbox games are probably not going to like it, but there is no point complaining that it isn't sandbox as this was never what it set out to do, and I'm sure there are many who like sandbox games that can enjoy Rift also. I know I'm one of them, I'm also playing Xsyon at the minute and really enjoying it but that doesn't mean I can't take Rift for what it is and enjoy it immensely.

I think you always have to be careful about how glowing you get about a game at launch as that 'new mmo glow' can soon wear off, but in this case I simply can't help myself. Rift is the best launch I've experienced in many years and so far the best 'themepark' experience mmo I've played.

I am just happy we had a MMO release that is not riddled with bugs, server crashes, and lag.  And the bonus of having all the content work and be in game, is a stunning suprise to me. 

This game may not be for anyone but I am going to give Trion my money just for making a game that actually works at release.   I was beginning to wonder if that was even possible anymore.  

Originally posted by romanator0

Keyword: Trying.

They just aren't doing a very good job of it.

 

Really? Who is better right now in this genre. Don't name a FPS. WoW? EQ, EQ2? Aion? WAR? Vanguard? Trion just stomped on each of them. They called out Blizzard and told them to bring it on and Blizzard is playing the silent game while there core base is leaving in droves.

Originally posted by RiftFan

Originally posted by romanator0

Keyword: Trying.

They just aren't doing a very good job of it.

 

Really? Who is better right now in this genre. Don't name a FPS. WoW? EQ, EQ2? Aion? WAR? Vanguard? Trion just stomped on each of them. They called out Blizzard and told them to bring it on and Blizzard is playing the silent game while there core base is leaving in droves.

I highly doubt that.