"Mixed Feelings"

Lineage 2. An MMORPG. My review? just as the title says... mixed feelings.

Overall Impression: 7/10
This game is very boring and repetitive. How can a boring and repetitive game get a score like 7? It also happens to be very addictive. How is a boring and repetetive game also addictive? Well... continue reading

Graphics: 7/10
The graphics in this game are the best graphics that I have ever seen with any MMORPG. However, there are lots of terrain graphical glitches, which works against this impression. There is also that little problem of graphic lag.

Sound: 5/10
The BGM is nice. Nothing fantastic, but nice enough. Everything else is also plain enough to be the middle score 5.

Interface: 10/10
This was the best part about the game. I have not encountered an MMORPG with a better interface. It's 100% customizable, and at the same time, it happens to be simple enough for the beginners to enjoy.

Story: 1/10
This was the worst part about the game. Most players will not even know that one exists. That's why it's so bad. The story is not integrated into the game at all. Yes, there IS actually a story behind Lineage 2. However, you have to go to the game home page and read the TEXT rather than find out any story within the game.

Balance: 3/10
This was another aspect of the game that I did not like. There's no real balance. You have lots of character classes in the game... of which about 5 are actually any good, and the rest are rubbish. These classes will usually change at each major update (called Chronicles) by powering down the player class's skills.

Item system: 8/10
In many games, the game currency is practically worthless. However, in Lineage 2, this is not the case. Item drops by monsters are so rare that most of the equipment you will use must be bought with adena. And how expensive that equipment gets! You'll never have enough money. What lets this down is the lack of item property modifiers. Its too bland. Sure there are the item enforcing spell scrolls. They increase the pure damage or defense of the target item. However, they do not have scrolls to give the weapon fire-based damage, or life stealing, or a combination of effects.

Conclusion:
Love it and hate it. When playing the game, feel bored and frustrated because you are playing Lineage 2. However, when not playing the game, feel bored and frustrated because you are not playing Lineage 2. :S

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/25/04