RuneScape

"A time consuming game you hate to love"

Runescape is a massive online rpg (massive as in 50k + players) that is made in java and has brought tons of players in. Now there is a P2P feature, where you have to pay $5 each month to play. Is this game worth paying for?

Graphics- 6/10
You really can't expect too much from java. The characters look like cardboard with a camera option. Bland. The background graphics are great though, like the White Knight's Castle in Falador.

Sound/Music - 3/10
The ''Sound'' feature is only available in P2P. There is no music. And the sound is really no sound at all. When you strike a blow against an opponent, you can hear a slight sound of pans clashing. When you die, you hear a girlish shriek. The sound effects are meant to be taken as a joke, I suppose.

Gameplay - 5/10
Now this is probably the only part where RuneScape shines. Sorta. In RS you control your character on an endless quest to mine, smith, sell equipment to stores and make money, buy more equipment, kill dragons, do quests, gain levels by repeatedly clicking. The basis of RS is that it is a CLICKING game. Yep, thats right. To make your way to the top you have to keep clicking. Click on a rock, mine it, smelt it, smith it, sell it. That's all you do, really, click. You can also fish in RS. How do you fish? By clicking on a fishing spot. How do you fight? By clicking, wait for your character to kill the enemy, then click again for the next enemy. All you need to do in RuneScape is click and click and click. One of the better points in RuneScape is the community. Fellow RuneScape players are allowed to interact with each other, kill/duel each other for loot, trade/sell items with others, etc. The community of players range from friendly to show offs. If you play RuneScape for a long enough time, you're bound to make some allies and some longtime enemies.

Interface - 8/10
The interface is simple; you move around your character with the mouse, right clicking on something brings up a menu with choices to interact with that something, and there is also a bar at the top of the screen with a buddy list, your inventory, a mini map to navigate easily and other neat stuff.

Story - 0/10
I can't really give a rating for story. There is no story, you have to lead your character on an endless quest to kill monsters gain levels and get rich. (Cough.)

Overall - 6/10
If you are a beginner in RuneScape, you will probably be frustrated on how to play. But if you spend an hour or so figuring out the game and experimenting, you can easily make some money, buy weapons and armor, and start some quests. Once you reach the lvl 70 combat mark or so, with full rune armor and good enough stats, you seem to realize that it gets boring. There really isn't much to do in RuneScape except clicking and leveling up and fighting monsters to level up yourself. There is no goal, no reward to playing. Believe me, this is not a biased review; I am level 81 combat, playing occasionally and was finally convinced that RuneScape is boring. If you want a game to waste your time on, try something else. If you dont want to spend your money on a real game, try RuneScape. Once you complete all the quests and get rune armor, there isn't much to do. Its not worth paying for the game, either. Just some more useless clicking skills to level up on.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 05/27/02, Updated 05/27/02