This year at E3 we saw a lot of games. RaiderZ was one that stood out from the crowd for giving MMO players some unique systems and overall monster hunting fun. The game prides itself on characters hunting for big monsters and working in groups to bring down foes. With great graphics and classes the title has some really fun elements. RaiderZ definitely will pull in the big monster crowd, it also offers a lot to MMO players in terms of combat, customization, and style.
The class breakdown is cool with Sorcerer, Berserker, Cleric, and Defender as the base classes and multi-classing available as you level deeper. I played a Defender in the demo and had some amazing skills with a sword and shield. We started out by running into a graveyard filled with undead. After clearing some zombies I got a good sense of how my character worked. I liked the area of effect skills I had. Even though they were on cooldowns, they allowed me to knock away the hordes and pick my battles. Once the hordes were cleared we unlocked a giant zombie boss. He was huge and came lumbering out to attack us. We had a Cleric, Berserker, and me as the Defender in our group. This game definitely requires teamwork as we battled our foe. The big monster fights are definitely the highlight in this game and through skills and determination we took down our zombie boss.
After exploring the graveyard a little more, we unlocked a smaller boss to fight as well. These types of encounters work well and give the group something to shoot for when they enter a new area. Once both boss monsters were gone, we played around with the mount system and the music system. It is great that players get musical instruments and can record their own songs in the game. I know it may sound odd, but we had more fun making music than we thought. It is a great side-activity that is surprisingly fun. RaizderZ also has a strong crafting system in the game. Players can use all kinds of materials to build up their weapons and armor. The kicker? All materials come off of monsters: no skulking around for mineral nodes and flower picking here.
The key to Raiderz is teamwork. When fighting boss monsters it is critical that everyone in your group works together. This part of the game really makes the group play fun. That being said there is a whole world to explore solo. This solo aspect can be used to scout for monsters (think world bosses that appear at certain times, randomly, and so forth) while your group prepares and then calling everyone in for a fight.
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I did like that you can combine your weapon style with any class you choose. It seems like more and more MMOs are taking this route lately. This system gives players some great options for character building. You are not bound by any one idea or play style. You can customize your class with your weapons however you like, and then branch into other classes later as you level.
The playable demo of RaiderZ was very polished and ran smoothly. The fights were fast and fun and I definitely got into playing the Defender class. The other class I got a good look at was the Berserker which destroyed its way through the hordes of monsters and did some great damage in the boss fights. We did not see much of the Sorcerer class, but hopefully more previews will be on the way. The good thing about all of these classes is the talent trees are very wide open. You can spec however you want and really build out your character for all different encounters.
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RaiderZ carries the torch of Monster Hunter quite well. Boss fights are a major part of any RPG and have also been a staple in MMOs. Raiderz definitely delivers on this style of gameplay but adds a massive open world to the mix as well. You are not just moving from boss fight to another, there is a huge sprawling place to explore and get lost in. What remains to be seen is whether or not "the grind" seeps in. How long can you hunt down bosses before it gets stagnant? How varied will crafting be? And when will we hear more about PVP that's not just dueling? Still, RaiderZ's combat is top-notch and the idea of a Monster Hunter MMO is certainly appealing.
