EVE Online

"Exactly how a space game should be"

EVE: Online.

Eve: online is one of the many MMORPG's to have come out over the recent months. There has been a lot of competition between them but there are aspects of Eve which are very unique and will compel you see exactly what you can make of yourself in this science fiction universe.

Made by CCP, a little known Icelandic company, they have burst forth with this game which truly does allow you to take the path that you want to do.

Let's start with the first that you are going to see when you start the game. This is going to be the character creation screen. You are able to change many features about your facial portrait. This will be what other players see of you in game, is it on a communication channel, a corporation listing or even wanted poster. This portrait will also serve as your avatar on the Eve: online forums. You can change the size and shape of all your facial features, you can adorn yourself with varying tattoo's and hairstyles, change the direction of your body and even have your eyes looking in a particular direction. Whatever you want its up to you. Suffice to say that whatever you choose it will be unique.

Once you have chosen your portrait, character race and starting skills you will begin the game for real. This is when one of the biggest and nest aspects of the game. You will start in a small ship taking up only a small portion of the screen. However surrounding you is some of the most wonderful graphics I have seen in a space simulation so far. Not only do you get the standard space effects such as nebula's and stars, but there is also everything that just seems right in the scale to which it is supposed to be. Docking stations will tower over your tiny ship as you approach to dock.

Along with the visuals comes a soundtrack created specifically for the game. The music has a feel to it that it belongs. The music is a relaxing affair, there are no strong beats or heavy sounds, but relaxing floating music, stuff you could imagine hearing as you're drifting through space. Along with the music there are also the sound effects. Granted there are not many of them in the game but what there are for such effects as warping and firing, sound good with relation to what is being shown on screen at the time. The warp engines creating a roar when you accelerate away from your location.

Now that you are playing the game, your decision will be what to do. Well there is plenty of opportunity. When you first start you will be given a tutorial on shooting and mining, after which you will go to a space station. It is fro here that you can really make your first decision. If you wish you can go out and mine asteroids for valuable minerals, go on agent search and destroy mission, find trade routes between systems for profit, go pirate hunting. Where this game really shines is in the use of corporations. Much like guilds in other MMORPGS, corporations are there to give new players a start and assist you once you have built up your arsenal.

Skill learning has also taken a new step in this game. For most other MMORPG's you level up by completing missions, or doing some other repetitive task over and over again. With Eve: Online you select a skill to learn and it will then present you with a countdown timer. This countdown timer still runs even when you are not playing the game, So if a skill says it will take 8 hours to complete, you can leave you computer off for the next 8 hours if you wish, knowing that when you return your skill will be there waiting for you.

One final word about combat in this game. In Eve: Online you target your enemy vessel, then any weapon you fire will go directly to their ship. There is no dogfighting in this game. Skill comes in with uses of warp jammers to stop people escaping and signal scramblers to prevent someone locking onto you. There are many items you can get to put into your ship.

All in all this is a fantastic game and if you let it, it can become a part of your life. I am not one for MMORPG's but this has captivated me for the best part of 18 months. I am glad that I started playing, I am sure you will to.

As a final score for this game, I can give it nothing less than 10 out of 10.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 10/11/04