Dark Ages

"Dark Ages: A Decent MMORPG"

Dark Ages... What can I say? Well I'll try to break this game down into some categories that I based my score on.
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Graphics (3/5) |
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The graphics are somewhat decent, considering that the game was released in '99, and the graphics have barely been improved upon since then. Although, the graphics were somewhat worse than they are now, due to a game update that had improved graphics very much. Weapons, armors, accessories, and basic items were given new graphics, making them look a lot better than they originally did. Plus, new hairstyles, hair colors, and new regions have been created with somewhat better graphics than the basic "Mileth" village and the original hairstyles.
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Sound (4/5) |
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Little known to some players, this game had an optional music pack that you could download to enhance the mood of gameplay. Although, this music sounded more like Church songs than video game music, the simplistic numbered names for the files opened up a new window for some gamers to customize their music for the game, like some other MMORPGs. The attack sounds are way too basic. Though, some spells have unique sounds, though, most should. For instance, the "cradh" family of spells had a somewhat realistic sound, that made me believe that there was a curse put upon the target. Now, when this sound it overused with many different spells, it gets very repetitious.
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Gameplay (4/5) |
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The gameplay of the game is pretty decent. Though, Nexon hasn't fixed MANY bugs in the game since it's initial release, some things may be better bugged. A nice feature that was added to the last release was "Smooth Scrolling," which game gameplay a much easier feeling. Since moving looks a lot better with Smooth Scroll, it boosted the rating of Gameplay. The controls are very easy to master, so, all players can get accustomed to the controls. After a while, they leave something to be desired.
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Community (5/5) |
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Now, this will throw you for a loop. Many people consider the community of the game to be EXTREMELY bad, because of all of the heretical players and newbies, But in this shadow, there is also light. Many of these people may be entertaining, and, even the most "newbish" player can give the most experienced aisling a bit of insight(Not levels..). And, even though there are about 800 people on at all times, and about 3/4 are heretical newbies, the other 1/4 can be very nice. Whether you be adventuring with someone from this 25%, trading with them, or just learning from them, they can make a very large difference.

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Scores: 3/5
4/5
4/5
+5/5
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16/20 -> 80% 8/10. A decent score.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/28/04