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The Chronicles of Spellborn peeked my interest when I first spotted it on this site. It wasn't a hardcore love at first sight experience, but I made a mental note to keep an eye on it. Funny enough, a few months later I heard about their collaberation with Within Temptation, coincidentally my favourite band. That actually got me into researching the game in-depth and since then not only has The Howling been playing in iTunes quite a bit, but I've been anticipating the game immensely!
I moved on to apply for closed beta testing and got in. Today I decided to download the finished product and sign up for an account through a proxy in order to dodge the IP-block bullet. All went fine and in a few short minutes I was creating my character. So here follows my personal review:
The devs have boasted about TCoS' character creation system. The main draw is that you have a wide variety of weapons, clothing, armor and accessories, among other items, available right from the start. To be honest, I expected more. The character creation is in no way bad, but I would have liked to have seen sliders instead of pre-set faces. The current selection of faces and other body parts/sizes is too small in my opinion. Apart from that, the actual number of weapons, clothing and armor to choose from also disappointed me. Thankfully, however, the items that were there were well-designed and to my taste, so I had no trouble in finding the perfect look for my character.
Immersiveness: I can't remember when last I've felt this immersed in a game before. Everything about it just gels right for me. It has a Tabula Rasa atmosphere to it (I, for one, enjoyed TR), but it's been taken to a whole new level with the fantasy-sci-fi approach, over-the-top art style and gameplay changes.
Anyway, after creating my character the introduction movie started. Though nothing amazing in theory (a simple pan of the camera around the starting zone), I was left awestruck by the vocals combined with the video. It was extremely effective. Thumbs up to the lady who did the voice-over! I immediately got a feel for the world and a lovely introduction to the game.
Polish: What I personally notice when first playing a game is polish. This was the next "test" I put the game through. It ran well, the interface was well-designed and easy to use and on the whole I felt like I was working with a finished product. I did, however, notice a few spelling or grammatical errors in quest text. These weren't game-breaking, but it would be nice to see them fix that up.
Music/Sound: There's no mistaking it, TCoS has one of the, if not the best soundtrack I've heard yet. The music is top-notch and very suiting to the environment. It's clear that much effort was put into this aspect of gameplay and I must say that I didn't realise music could have such an effect on immersion.
Sounds is also very well done. The world feels alive. Chickens cluck, wolves howl, loud inexplicable noises randomly occur...it takes the experience to a whole new level.
Graphics/Art Style: The graphics are nowhere near the best, but I am impressed with what they have achieved with the engine. I'd rate the graphics as as a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Where the game really shines is the art style. It's bold and it's beautiful. I can't stop myself from stopping and staring at the large shards in the sky with rays of light peering through them, or simply admiring the architecture. I feel right at home in a world that's not my own.
General gameplay: TCoS uses the typical questing system. I'm not a huge fan of such systems, but reading through the quests and getting an understanding as to why I'm doing them has resulted in me actually enjoying them. I haven't been bombarded with hundreds of quests. It seems as if quests result in greater rewards than in other games.
The combat system is what I find makes questing fun. I'm not going to attempt to explain it in-depth, but it makes use of manual aiming and a rotating skill-deck system. It adds a new level to gameplay and ensures that each and every battle is unique. There's no mindless auto-targetting and macro spamming.
Summary: In conclusion, I can definitely see myself subscribing to the game when it's released over here. I can't remember when last I've felt this impressed with a game. It's not perfect, but much better than I was expecting. I think I've found myself a new home.
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12/26/08 9:09:39 PM#2
Anyone have an educated guesstimate when the NA players can play it? Elder scrolls online: Voice your concerns here :http://www.zenimax.com/contact.php |
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12/26/08 9:58:29 PM#3
Is this "open" beta yet? If not, can some beta-invitee who is not interested in CoS please PM the login info. |
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Originally posted by ssnautilus The game isn't in open beta, but it has been released in Germany and I think 2 other countries. Simply download the client from www.tcos.com and then grab an account from www.tcos.com also, but via a proxy browser such as www.gingerproxy.com. Don't forget to confirm your email address via ginger proxy too. You're able to play the first few levels as a free trial. |
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12/27/08 3:02:59 AM#5
Germany, France, Belgium, The Netherlands & Scandinavia actualy :). |
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Aha, thanks. |
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12/27/08 8:14:02 AM#7
Yeah I am from Norway and I can play. I will have to use proxy when I move back to San Francisco though. Hello there, adventurer! |
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12/27/08 8:53:39 AM#8
You don't need to be behind a proxy to play. The proxy is only needed when you create an account. |
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12/27/08 10:24:32 AM#9
Oh indeed? Happy times indeed. Thanks for the info. Hello there, adventurer! |
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Yeah it's very convenient. |
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12/27/08 3:20:42 PM#11
so can i sub up and play, or is it just for the free trial?
Elder scrolls online: Voice your concerns here :http://www.zenimax.com/contact.php |
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12/27/08 3:46:49 PM#12
Anybody have a decent link on how to set up a proxy?...as long as you don't get in trouble for posting it. I had hoped to try this before I leave for boot camp but didn't realize the NA stuff wasn't ready for us yet. |
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Originally posted by toddze You can subscribe and play. If, however, you are situated outside of the territories in which the game is released you will need to setup an account via a proxy browser.
In order to do that simply go to www.gingerproxy.com, visit www.tcos.com via that site and sign up for an account. Log into your email and confirm the address via gingerproxy too. Then you're all set, as the game itself does not have IP blocking implemented. I would, however, wait until proper release to subscribe. Rather use this method as a way of testing the game. |
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12/27/08 4:31:43 PM#14
Originally posted by Lydon You can subscribe and play. If, however, you are situated outside of the territories in which the game is released you will need to setup an account via a proxy browser.
In order to do that simply go to www.gingerproxy.com, visit www.tcos.com via that site and sign up for an account. Log into your email and confirm the address via gingerproxy too. Then you're all set, as the game itself does not have IP blocking implemented. I would, however, wait until proper release to subscribe. Rather use this method as a way of testing the game.
About how much play time can you get with the free trial? A week worth? if its like a day I dont even want to mess with it
Elder scrolls online: Voice your concerns here :http://www.zenimax.com/contact.php |
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Originally posted by toddze To be honest I'm not sure at what level the free trial ends. I've logged around 10 hours so far and I'm level 6. All depends on how often you play I guess. |
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12/27/08 5:08:13 PM#16
Originally posted by Lydon To be honest I'm not sure at what level the free trial ends. I've logged around 10 hours so far and I'm level 6. All depends on how often you play I guess.
ok thx for all the info, Ill probably give it a shot later when im bored Elder scrolls online: Voice your concerns here :http://www.zenimax.com/contact.php |
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12/27/08 5:09:31 PM#17
Originally posted by Lydon
I can pretty much get behind everything you are saying here except the part where it is reminecent of TR...honestly the only thing CoS has in common with Garriotts folly is they both used some form of C++ coding. If anything I am reminded of AC...before the taint of David Bowman. I think that CoS will do very well in NA provided Acclaim dosen't behave like Acclaim usually does. |
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Originally posted by todeswulf I wish I knew why...it just does for some reason. The atmosphere feels very similar, the combat systems were both different to other MMOs etc. |
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12/27/08 5:14:17 PM#19
Originally posted by Lydon I wish I knew why...it just does for some reason. The atmosphere feels very similar, the combat systems were both different to other MMOs etc.
See I don't get that .....I keep waiting for Jack The Pumpkin King or the Corpse Bride to pop up. One thing though I find myself not wanting to log off the more I play....I have never played a game that was this immersive...ofcourse all that will go to hell once the game is in NA and Azzsniffa and his retarded friend didurmomsohard logs on..... maybe I will just stay where I'm at. |
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12/27/08 5:29:46 PM#20
Thanks for the review Lydon! I've been watching the game for some time myself and will be trying it out. I have a few questions. How was your performance? Any lag or other issues? Watching videos of the game in beta there were a lot of particle effects, flashng lights and such. Is that still the case? If so, does it detract from your immersion? The lore behind the game as seen on the website was very interesting. Is there a lot of lore and back story in game as well? Thanks!
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to play this. Thanks.
