Dark Ages

"Ah, How I Miss The Good Old Days,,,"

Back in 1999, I was reading a new issue of Gamepro (back when Gamepro was ''The Thing To Read''). In it, I noticed a page long look at a new Online RPG that was shades of Everquest. That game's name...was Dark Ages (cue the mysterious music). Of course, my family had a strict ''No Games on the PC'' policy back then, so I turned the page.

Fast forward a few months, and I had a rebellion. I decided ''HEY! I'm going to download this ''Dark Ages'' game and see what it's like! And then I'll make a sandwich!'' That sandwich was one of the best ever, but I digress. When I finished downloading Dark Ages (four files about 4 MB a piece, and we didn't have no cable modems back then!), I installed it and created my first character ever: BigSammyE. I believe I started playing around the Summer of Deoch 3 (BTW, a Deoch is a game year, and game years are a few months). For the most part, everyone was friendly. Then I was arrested for having an improper name. I figured out that these guys were serious about having a straight-forward RPG community. Well, a few months of mooching my way through the game using unregistered characters, I decided to finally register for the game. That's when this game became the most fun I ever had.

I played the game through Deoch 4-16. During that time, I was an Arena Host and a permenant fixture to the over a hundred large Dark Ages community. We had our disagreements at times, but this was a friendly, tight-knit community that was constantly being updated with new quests to keep us entertained.

I stopped playing at the very beginning of 2001. I believed firmly that I had outlived my welcome, as I had made my ex-in game-girlfriend mad and had her in game-friends mad at me. The only problem was that I was the only person keeping the Arena alive, and I didn't want to leave. So I sold my guy to a complete stranger for fifty dollars. Not a bad deal...

Fast forward to a couple monthes ago. I was bored again and decided to download Dark Ages once more. This time, it was a completely different place. Everyone I had known from Deoch's 4-16 had left. And this was not the friendly community I had once known...

**This is where I get to the actual review**

First off, to get anywhere, you need to join a class (i.e. Warrior, Rogue, Monk, etc). And to do that, a player of that class you wish to be must swear you in. Back in Deoch's 4-16, there was no problem getting started. Everyone was willing to help. But this community was the complete opposite. I signed up for a one month registration period, and during that time, I spent half of it looking for someone to admit me into a class! Everyone was either too busy or just not accepting students.

So I finally became a Warrior and made my way to the arena...to find it partially deserted. I left and a few days later came back because the system informed me there was a match starting. I entered the arena, paid my fee, and went to the bull pen. The room was crowded, which was great but...everyone in the room was already at the max level, and each had been playing for barely even 5 days a piece! In the earlier Deochs of the game, there were three, maybe four, guys that would be level 80, but this was different. EVERYONE in the room had become level 99 ascended (reached 99 TWICE).

I asked one person how they all did it and he told me COMPLETELY OUT OF CHARACTER, which would've been a big no-no, that they CHEATED. And to boot, he was an authority figure of the game (the game has it's own political system). Clearly, the game's democracy was corrupted.

Needless to say, I wasn't fighting a team full of level 99 fighters. I left quickly. I then decided it was time to hunt for EXP the good ol' fashion way: fighting monsters. Well, this was surprise number three for me...lag in the areas where you fight monsters was EXTREMELY high. And in this game, lag near a monster=death. I believe I died three or four times before I gave up hunting (BTW, dying in this game isn't easy if you're past level 6...or at least it wasn't).

No hunting, no arena, so I decided to get the Experience the only other way possible: doing quests. And this was yet another surprise to me...since Deoch 16, there have been very minimal amounts of upgrades made to this game. They give you new areas now and then, but quests are very limited, if any.

My month expired and when I was asked if I wanted to renew, my answer was no. I promptly deleted Dark Ages and haven't looked back. In the end, Dark Ages would've gotten a 10 from me back during Deochs 4-16. But now, this game gets a three. Graphics are average and sound is all right. Music needs to be downloaded, but I never bothered. All in all, if everyone from Deoch's 4-16 rejoined this game and created new characters, and all the current cheaters left, I'd highly recommend you download Dark Ages. Heck, I'd see you there. But now, I'd say let it dwindle.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 06/19/02, Updated 06/19/02