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Runescape Review: 2011 Re-Review - Edit
8
| Pros |
 Can play for hours without touching combat Unique, refreshing, and brings new concepts to the genre |
| Cons |
 Combat feels archaic and slightly underdeveloped Graphics are going to be an obvious sticking point Heavy-grind for the most part |
Everyone has played RuneScape, it is just one of those facts like eating spiders in your sleep, being in constant close proximity to rats, and hating the bottom-burp that is Piers Morgan. The chances are, if you are a goblin-loving type like the staff at this website, you will have found yourself fervently pawing at the sign-up page of the aforementioned game in an attempt to get that MMO fix that is so desperately needed.
Developed over the course of a decade by Jagex Studios, RuneScape is the one of the world’s most popular free to play online game. Boasting a player base that would make any of its peers blush and packing more content than you could shake a stick owned by Henry Content at, there is little wonder why this game continues to go from strength to strength. Recently the developers of the game decided to bring back the Wilderness and Free Trade, so in turn MMORPG.com has decided to give this online-'em-up another look-in.
Born to be Wild a Baker
In almost every MMORPG you would expect your first dozen or so hours in-game to be a mixture of killing tiny rats and listening to booming voices proclaim "you are the chosen one!" - RuneScape decides to take a different route to all of this well-trodden nonsense. Oh sure, we have rats to poke at, a goblin or two to bother, and even half-a-dozen cows to slaughter, but that's not all. Jagex's game is essentially one of many different avenues to explore, and while combat is high on many people's priority list, this is not all you can expect to achieve within the game.
I am going to be honest with you readers; I spent the first ten or so hours in RuneScape perfecting the art of baking bread. I'm not entirely proud of it, and I'm not bragging, but while others were butchering various life forms, I spent my time jogging merrily to the fields, picking half a dozen pretty plants, and finally delivering them to the mill to be transformed in flour. And do you know why I decided to choose the life of a simple farming-chef? Because I damn well could.
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Like any sandbox worth its beach-based resource, RuneScape is a game without classes and to follow this, character creation is nothing more than choosing the color-scheme of your avatar and deciding which beard would best suite your features. Only when in the game do players begin to sculpt and mould exactly what their path will be and this is done in the form of the 25 skills that are on offer, of which some are excluded to the members-only side of things.
Of course I have already mentioned my love of the cooking skill, but within this browser-based title are a dozen or so choices that will sap your attention for some time. One of the more interesting elements is that players can mine for ore, and further craft themselves a set of armor fit for early exploits in the wilds; and this can all be done before even thinking about being involved in any kind of combat. It is this kind of approach that really endears RuneScape in that you do not have to be the all conquering warrior/mage but instead an industrious civilian.
And to further the aforementioned role of the pacifist crafter, trading also plays a big part in proceedings while not essentially being a skill onto itself. A broker house is available in the game by the name of the "Grand Exchange" and interestingly rather than being more WoW-like it shares similar traits with Eve Online's system of supply and demand. Being a lowly miner, players can offer their copper ore for a guided price and then put their goods on the market; and this is either bought by those with buy orders in place already or by waiting a few hours until someone comes along to purchase.
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While we have seen trading in games before such as this, there is a real sense of player-driven commodities that never falls behind to a top-heavy community or players underselling each other. And the Grand Exchange isn't the only place where bartering occurs, as it is not uncommon to find a crowd of players in the centre of any town pimping their wares to anyone not wanting to take the trip to the bigger cities.
It is easy to see why this element of RuneScape is one of its driving successes, and this is also helped in that there isn't one firm server/realm that players choose to play on. Upon entering the game, you have the choice as to which location you wish to play and these individual "worlds" can range anywhere from trading or RP specific. By allowing anyone to jump in and out, the population essentially opens up to the 200,000+ that play each day, and with the trade system integrating into each, it’s simple to see why this works so well. With this element in place, bartering with other players becomes one of mass-audience supply and demand and this makes trading a very valuable and easy to approach aspect of game play.
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So with all these directions and avenues of play-style, there is little wonder why RuneScape has kept an active community for near-on a decade. There just seems so many layers to the game and the various forms of 'fluff' (ranging from skills or user made activities) lends to the sense that this is a real fantasy world that you are inhabiting - and this is one thing that many games, at current, simply lack.
On to the Stabby Stabby
But for all of the many and varied pursuits on offer in RuneScape, we come back to that old curmudgeon of the genre – combat and wildlife genocide. This element of the game follows the traditional physical and magical abilities and in turn, both are governed by a single or handful of skills. Starting with traditional weapon-based aggression, this is achieved by progressing your Combat, Defence, and Strength stats, all of which are furthered by dealing horrific blows to an opposing creature.
I feel that this element of the game is one of the shortcomings of RuneScape in that it just feels rather bland. There is a combat menu tab that allows for one of three actions to be performed which usually falls within "offensive" "neutral" and "defensive" and while this offers a certain amount of interaction, the addition of hot bar abilities would not be a miss. In fairness, battles never take too much time to complete but the genre feels slightly passed clicking an enemy and watching two swords clunk mercilessly into opposing body forms.
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The magic on offer in the game does take a turn for the better as spells are governed by using the titular runes. Essentially, in order to cast a spell, a certain element-based rune is needed, and these are collected from monsters and gained in various ways. The spell list is fairly comprehensive and it does feel a lot more interactive than the physical combat, but again, there is a feeling that perhaps there could be more specialised paths through this aspect of the game.
In all, combat feels like one of the least developed systems, while the skill list can excite anyone towards the glee of collecting cow hide and turning it into leather, the systems for violent advancement do feel a little archaic compared to the rest of the ensemble. But in fairness to Jagex, this is just one small portion of the game and while it isn't entirely impressive, it is functional and does the job.
i haven't played it.
shoulda used some gameplay screenshots. You cant give it an 8 with just concept art. Thats so wrong.
No doubt though Runescape is a childhood memory I will always have, It was such a great game back then. A Re-developed 3D runescape with updated combat I would be obssessed with.
There's a lack fo screenshots because the game looks like crap, but that doesn't mean it can't be a good one.
Unfortunately, for me at least, bad graphics and bad gameplay are synonymous with this game. I found it terribly boring. Like those facebook games where you spent all your time staring at a UI and spamming buttons to gather materials (friends) to craft (build) your items (farm/castle/what-the-fuck-ever) just to use them in combat that's...stale, to say the least.
If you miss the days of simplicity I suppose you'll like this game. If you're looking for something exciting, I'd be hard-pressed to recommend Runescape to anyone. It ~is~ a crafter's paradise though, provided you have no care for graphics. If you like a slow, laid-back, slow, time-consuming, sloooooow game where you can literally build a life (because essentially that's how long it's going to take to do anything), have at it!
@gaeanprayer
I have to say that the second half of your post almost sounds like you are describing Minecraft
Nice write-up. Several people have recommended Runescape to me, but everytime I hear the word "sandbox", my ears close. It's just not my forte. And I agree, screenshots, no matter how bad, would have been better than concept art.
Oh yeah, almost forgot. In before the "Wtf, another 8+ score? You guys are teh suk!" crowd.
I like RuneScape because it's so similar to EVE (in almost every way, good and bad. EVE offers more robust player politics and complex market tools, but that's about it).
Sorry, but giving this game an 8 is pure and simple "review inflation." This seriously de-legitimizes any scoring system MMORPG.com uses.
One thing the author failed to convey is that while combat is very bland looking, mechanical even, and less-engaging than AAA MMOs where'd you clicking abilities throughout a fight, the game's item loss on death makes combat quite thrilling.
For most players engaging in combat vs. a mob or a player, the worse the fight goes, the more exciting the fight gets. In other MMOs where dying is an annoying inconvenience, in RuneScape death means the loss of gear and goods that may very well have taken tens or hundreds of hours worth of effort to acquire. Dying for many players can be a devastating, rage-quitting experience.
So while combat in RuneScape can be very dull when you're fighting a severely under-powered foe, you get a bit of a rush when facing off with something that's a bit tougher than you, a rush you're not going to get in WoW or most other AAA MMOs.
I keep reading this in comments here. Where is the concept art? I saw 4 pics on page 1, and 3 on page 2, and they're all game-play pictures. Maybe it's been a while since you played, but RuneScape HD at high settings actually looks quite nice. They're also in the process of re-designing the art for their trees that is very, very impressive for RuneScape.
Originally, the article only had concept art. It has since been changed to show in-game screens. And let me say: Wow! That's some kind of ugly!.
That can happen without harsh death penalties.
My eyes! My eyes! aaaaaaaaargh
Archaic is the only term that could possibly be used to describe this game. Yes, there are a few cool or interesting features, but it's bogged down by the completely uninvolved and boring mechanics. Combat, as stated, is flat and unimaginitive, but that goes for the rest of the game to. Tree cutting takes hours to get to max, most people use bots to level it up. Mining same thing, click on rock, wait, click on another rock, repeat. There is a chance of some terrible beasty popping out and trying to kill you when you do most of these gathering actions, to. I actually enjoyed that, added a bit of danger to the entirely mundane and boring grind that is ANYTHING in Runescape.
In fact, your last re-review gave this game a lower score, so how did it earn a rating of "Great:This game is a solid effort, and meets the expectations of what a high end MMORPG should be. This game is worth your time and money."? With combat the constitution of soggy bread and nearly every other mechanic based on turning a mill stone, how does this meet expectations of a high end MMORPG?
The rating I would assume is NOT based using OTHER games as a comparison. You cant do that, its unfair to say the least because Runescape is a different kind of game. You cant compare an independent game made ten years ago on Java to a current AAA high-def title.
A game is rated on against itself and its feature list. Let me tell you, Runescape for all its tediousness and low-rez graphics has just as many features that many AAA titles have. By all your standards, then Ultima Online, this genre defining game, would only score a 3-4 if re-rated today, and that would piss many of you off. But it has subpar graphics, lots of grind, and other issues that you see in most MMO's. Double Standards abound.
Silly Adam, don't you know that you must hate Runescape, all the cool MMORPG player do.
I've never played, and while the graphics do remind me of the games I played in the 90's nothings to say it couldn't be fun even today. (besides, I played EVE for 3 years and stared at the dots......)
I think if you wanted a great old game with not so great 90s graphics, then you would be much better off playing Asherons Call. Runescape is a 90s level game on par with a ps1 diablo clone made in an era when games were well into using 3d. The combat system is not something to write home about either, its hardly a system at all, have knife will stab.Runescape does have that sort of UO gathering thing and player housing I can give them kudos for that, but they sorely lack in the pvp strategy market. Seriously a 2d nentindo game from the 80s is almost more complicated, actually I think final fight IS more complicated.
To be
FAIR as the game stands now I can give it a low 7 on sandbox elements and how they attract lots of players so the world is rather alive. But I couldn't get anywhere past 8.3 until the pvp/combat system is far far better than it is now. Of course that would mean a major game overhaul which I doubt will happen.
But thats just me, its easy to hate on runescape, but I have played it, its a lot more engrossing than most asian grinders.
I started playing rs when it was 2 weeks old lol and yet their it is still up huge memorys with friends, and family. although it is such a great game, i agree it needs updating. then again it wouldnt be a browser based game, look of how far it has come for being a bbg. although when a rs3 comes out with good graphics and all with charecter switch over... I will be playing that indeeeed lol
RuneScape is a well deserving 8. Graphic's not the greatest even with the HD format now, and combat is not the most entertaining while leveling. RuneScape is very immersive and filled with depth. To say that it is extermely grindy would be inncorrect as there are many mini-game alternatiives to leveling up all sorts of skills. RuneScape is browser based, and there is no other game in even close comparison that is browse based. Combat may be bland but fighting in the Wilderness or Dueling Arena offers a thrill you cannot recieve from any other MMO title. This Java Sandbox is extremely entertaining, for hours on end. I've played RuneScape on and off for five years and have seen it come a very long way. My best MMO memories have been with RuneScape, and I've played multiple MMO's. If you haven't tried it out I definitely reccomend it, it will be worth your time.
I found the interface to be very slow and hard to control; the camera never felt quite right either. Couldn't enjoy the game very much.
The community in an MMORPG makes a bit of difference. It can determine whether you like the game or not. The community in this game is, to put it nicely, insanely atrocious. Most people speak in 1337 speak, which is the least of your problems. Most everyone is a pain in the rear in this game: being a newbie in this game is like being a woman in Wulfgar's tribe in RA Salvatore's books: basically, you're treated like a piece of crap. Which brings me to another point: most every person in RS is an egotistical son of a (BEEP). Sure, you have the people that'll help you out and be considerate in game if you're level 5 with bronze equipment, but most will be like "LOL U N00B IM LEVEL 61 AND I GOTZ TEH FULL RUNE LOL M I RITE M I RITE". The community in this game, I reiterate, is insanely atrocious. Don't expect anything good.
I just started playing again and I've had a great time so far. But I will admit that like many people have stated, the game's community is absolutely horrible. Of course...half of them are kids and teenagers with no manners and sense of decency (not that there aren't any adults playing, there are still plenty). But I usually just ignore the jerks and get on with my day, and it's really not a big deal at all. Other than that, I personally don't find the game all that bad. It's one of those games that you either love or you hate. For some people, the gameplay is extremely boring and outdated...for me, I like it for the most part, and It keeps me interested. For those that haven't tried it, I'd recommend giving it a shot, you really don't have anything to lose other than time (which if you're an mmo player, then you obviously have time to blow)...and if you don't like it, then no harm done.
runescape would be great if it the devs would just remake it from scratch to compete with some other mmos. I'm sure the have the money for it. The game is good as is, bt with the dated graphics and slow grind I can't stand playing for long.
I've never played Runescape. Nor will I ever want to. Ragnarok Online was my first MMO, and it far supercedes Runescape.
LOL that was funny, you should consider making that your sig.
what is this game looks so fail!
It's good for what it is... and actually fun to play.
If they ever decided to make a 3d version of this game I'd play it in a heartbeat.
Well, I decided to play it again after many years. If anyone else is willing to give it a go. Send me a pm, maybe we can work together. I know the community blows, so finding friends is going to be hard.
I havent.
highly addictive game, but to grindy...
I thought it was a good review. This game has been successful for a number of years with a population most modern MMO's would love to have.
As you say it does have a certain charm to it. Plus it has regular updates to keep it fresh. I have tried to leave RS, done the WOW, Aoc, Warhammer, SWG (post Nge) thing but keep coming back. The further you progress the better it gets.
As a previous poster said this is not so much an action game, which for me is ok. Sometimes after a stressful day at work I enjoy logging in and thinking 'Ok think I'll do a bit of farming, then some crafting followed by hunting butterflies' etc.
Yes the community can be rough, particualrly around the GE which seems to be the epicentre of every scammer, tool and beggar on the planet, but I have met so many great people when out in runescape questing etc that it kind of balances it out for me. I laso imagine the GE is the Mos Eisley of runescape which makes it more bearable.
Anyway I think if your score is based on content and the amazing amount of things you can do then in my eyes it definetly deserves an eight.
I do agree with others on the grinding though, it can be pretty painful when going for the higher levels.
Runescape is 3D. It's played in a sort of Isometric view and you can't freely rotate the camera in all directions, but the entire world and all aspects of it are 3D models.
Unless you mean the gimmicky "3D" that hollywood is going nuts over (again) to distract people from the fact that they've run out of interesting new movies to make and are running low on comic book characters and old-TV shows to adapt that people would actually want to see.
concerning the graphics my friends,
At least they aren't as bad as ultima online!!! :)
Regarding the community, RuneScape has it's fair share of idiots like most MMOs. The difference is, you're not limited to 10,000 jerks on a single server. You can log into any server you want whenever you feel, and no doubt will find people with whom you can get along. The nature of the gameplay requires that you have a lot of AFK time for many of the skills, so you end up messaging lots of people and getting to know other players very well.
I missed this aspect when I moved on to other games, where people are constantly coming and going and have no time to talk about anything, unless they want something from you.
So there are jerks in RuneScape, but you absolutely can find a few dozen out of the millions who play that you will be able to get along with. And you not only get along with them, but you actually interact with them personally. There are few other MMOs that offer that.
Excellet review, I still play runescape on the side and still have a members account. I recently reached my long time goal of getting combat lvl 100, and find myself wishing that modern MMOs would take a few ideas from the creative folks at Jagex.
Wow, graphics have improved immensley on this game compared to when i tried it out in '02 or '03.. Back then it looked like crap.. But i was also addicted to Diablo 2 so maybe i was a little biased lol..
Why are people defending it because its a browser based game or that it's made in Java or that its 10 years old? That doesn't make a difference. Rate it, as an MMO, by today's standards. Anything else would be doing the industry and this game a disservice. Isn't that really the point of a re-review? To see how the new content or changes or how it has aged stacks up? Well, geuss what, it doesn't stack up well. It's archaic and uninvolved game design, we've moved beyond this. Far beyond.If you like clicking on rocks and logs and crafting 10k daggers just to get to the next level, well, good for you! The rest of us will off be playing more interesting things.
Reviewed alongside new titles with exceptions made because of the graphical nature of the game - RuneScape is more varied, unique, and interesting than most games half its age. Sure it is heavy grind, but there are just so many options and avenues to explore, and lets not forget, every MMO is heavy grind, crafting in WoW will see ou forge crazy amounts of useless armour and weapons. RuneScape is archaic in some place but in others it shines, the re-review is simply based on what is available, and that surprisingly turns out to be something amazingly refreshing.
That's fairly generous, unless your basing your review off of the fact that it's browser based and unique. As far as actual gameplay compared with other MMORPGs, it's a little lower of a score. In my personal opinion.
the graphix in this game have improved alot! i logged in to check runescape a few weeks ago.
i wouldnt play it myself anymore but its still a great game in my opinion but the comunity is to childish
One of the most silly and lame reviews I've seen on this site. An 8 for this game, really??
Love how one of your Pros was, "Can play for hours without touching combat." But yet a Con is, "Combat feels archaic and slightly underdeveloped." A bit confusing if you ask me, do you like combat or not? Or maybe the combat is so bad in this game and your glad your not forced to do it? Yup, sounds like an 8 to me...
Also, how the hell does a heavy grinding game get a freakin 8 out of 10?
Both points aren't really linked are they? The game is varied and vast so you don't have to touch combat - positive. The combat itself is rather dated, negative. I don't see the direct link between?
Most MMORPGs are heavy grind, its what tends to gain you levels.
Well the thing is that most mmos nowadays are boring except the ones you have to pay 50 dollars for then pay a subscription for runescape is cheap and fun and has tons of skill with no restrictions to rasing them and most games nowadays as this guys said all mmos grind i got done playing lotro and i got quests kill this or collect these or i won't be able to lvl up because i don't get enough exp for killing things plus runescape also has houses, mini games and many other things to keep you busy and i at this point am playing morrowind deus ex and many other old and dated games not because of graphics but because IT IS FUN i take fun over graphics since every other game has nothing but kill kill and you guessed it kill and it is rare to see an mmo that has as much packed in it especially houses that i don't have to wait till i am lvl 90 or higher to be able to own and as for the graphics it's like saying that minecraft and garry's mod should be compared because they are the same type of game
oh and also name a game that has all runescape does plus "expansions" that you only have to pay 6 dollars for and not like an extra 30 or 40
I've been playing Runescape on and off for about 6 years. I don't really train at all, I've gotten to CB60some without grinding, because I go on and kill everything I feel like killing. Runescape is a love it or hate it game, with combat only slightly interesting if you pay money (you get weapons with special abilities and you have to quickswitch weapons to poison, double slash, etc. an enemy, especially in PvP). It's pretty boring to train combat in Runescape, but the point of the game isn't to sit for hours on end like people would do in WoW or some other game. I went on on Runescape, baked a pie, sold that pie, and logged off, all while chatting with the clan.
Of course, there has to be some combat. F2P combat is absolute crap, but they recently released Dungeoneering to at least give a purpose to it. I swear, Dungeoneering is only to keep F2P players from quitting due to repetitive combat (F2P players generate income through advertisements, which is on a pay-per-person basis).
Was an awesome way to burn the hours after grade school waiting at the library after shcool with my buddy matthew. It's a saving grace in situations like that, all you who are overly critical. Ofcourse if you can pay for it, anyone would go for a bigger title. But it's damn good for being free and it has some really good aspects as the reviewer pointed out. Besides this is totally my opinion, but the only reason I play WOW is because it sucks the least out of most mmorpgs. But it still suck, I'm gonna switch to beta testing. We've all been robed of a genuine mmo for some good time, atleast Runescape is genuine.