role-playing

The great thing about this MMORPG (massive multiplayer online roleplaying game) is the fact that you have the option to level/XP in relative safety of your own realm, and then when you feel like it zoom off to the PVP areas where you can kill and be killed by other PC's to your hearts content.
There are on average 4 races and 12 different classes in each of 3 different realms that are at war with each other. Each realm has 2 relic Keeps (housing relics) and 7 frontier forts (used to defend the frontier), enemy realms can take your forts, invade your frontier (not your homeland) and make attempts to steal your relics (which they then take back to their own relic keeps, and gain bonuses to magic or melee - depending on the relic).
Each realm is very different visually, and class/race wise. Thats the beauty of this game, its almost like 3 games in one in that you can play a different realm on a different server (Midgard on one, Hibernia on another and Albion on another).
The drawbacks of the game are the graphical engine, people mention epic battles. But you cant enjoy an epic battle, a keep taking, or a relic stealing without your FRAMES PER SECOND going down into the single digits - often down to less than 2. This is to be rectified in the upcoming expansion - SHROUDED ISLES - which appears on the shelves . . .. The expansion will contain an updated version of the engine which will allow you to make full use of the power of your graphics card.
Its a very fun game, but be warned, the whole game is geared towards playing with 7 other people in a group, which enables you to xp very efficiently (choosing the right classes to be in that group is evn mor eimportant) - you CAN solo xp, but be advised that for the majority of classes, this is a much slower task than grouping with other people (some classes can actually xp faster solo in earlier levels than they can in groups).
Another drawback of this game is that once you hit the max level (level 50) the only things you have left to do is RVR (fighting other realms) and searching for items to better your character, that and roll another character (being as there are 36 total across the realms - you wont exactly get bored).

I Thought I might try to write a more descriptive review then some of these others. The game deserves it. First of all this game does rock. There are 3 diverse realms, or countries you can call your home. Once you've chosen that, you can choose between many variety of races, and professeions. You fight monsters in the typical 'hack and slash' manner to gain levels and new skills, but you can also go on quests for such experience. Thats nothing uncommon to a game like this. What sets this one apart is RvR. Realm versus realm combat. Each of the 3 realms group together with fellow guildmates, and friends alike, to go on massive (iv'e seen 200 live people in a raid or more) raids to try to besiege and take realm keeps. These are keeps in a designated area known as the Frintieer, or no mans land. Here you fight epic sized battles with sometimes as many as 200 people on each side, or on all 3 sides, fighting over controll of keeps. There are also relics that can be taken from these keeps giving bonuses to the whole realm that owns them so long as they do. When you make a kill in RvR you dont gain experience, or loose it when you die; but you gain 'realm points'. When these are enough, you gain a realm rank which gives you points to spend on special "realm skills" which generally are really cool. These skills make it a benifit to participate in RvR, but no one would be required to do it. Unlike other games where you have 1v1 (or 3v1 as I've seen)PvP style, that quickly gets old when you cant turn it back off until some timmer wears down.... Over all this game really does a great job, it will be interesting to see how the expansion changes this already exellent game.

New areas, new races and new quests... better graphics. All for $11?? buy it if you don't have it.