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E3 2006 Best Use of a License: Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning, Mythic Ent.

Everything about this game screams Warhammer. The quests, the graphics, the classes, the way characters speak to you... It's all Warhammer. For fans of this rich intellectual property, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning seems well on its way to delivering a true experience that will make Games Workshop proud.

Squig Herders as a Greenskin class bring functionality and hilarity. The game's core design is very much about one thing: war. The races and their looks are all exaggerated and true to the IP. There are no female Orcs in Warhammer, so there are none in WAR. As you wander around the world, you see things like crows pecking at the eyes of bodies and dwarf heads hung from trees.

Yes, the IP is dark and yes, Mythic chose to go for a lighter look. Yet, to us, this perfectly represents the exaggerated and paint it yourself feel of the toy soldiers. What's more, the rich and detailed textures are not just random decoration. Every symbol on every flag means something in the Warhammer universe.

The comes the Tome of Knowledge. This tome expands as players explore the world. It is a one stop source of information about the IP. The contents are written by various characters in the world and as you learn more you get different perspectives, written in the correct voice. They may argue, they may contradict each other and they may even lie to you. Nonetheless, reading is a riot. Not only do you not need Google to learn about the world, but you can gain experience and have fun doing it.

...and did I mention that Orcs can travel by catapult?

It's far too early to hand Warhammer Online any of the major hardware. It's only been eight months, but they're well on their way to capturing the IP and for that they deserve recognition.

The following titles also deserved consideration for their excellent use of their license.

Lords of the Rings Online, Turbine Entertainment

They have a much tougher hill to climb - no pun intended - than Warhammer does. They have to dance around a very strict IP and still make sure players can be important and have fun. So far, they seem to be doing a good job, but the lack of freedom in their IP keeps it a step behind Warhammer.

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