Amazon.com: Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Collector's Edition: PC: Video Games

35 Reviews

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4.3 out of 5 stars (35 customer reviews)

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exactly what I needed (and an excellent package, to boot), September 24, 2008

By	Terry Mesnard (Bellevue, NE) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Note: My review is below, but I wanted to address the Collector's Edition, since that is the version I purchased. What a wonderful CE; much better than the more expensive Age of Conan edition (without taking the game into consideration). The unpainted miniature is fantastic and a nice nod to the table top game from whence it came. The two hard bound books (art book and a comic book) are fantastic, with terrific art and, in the case of the comic, a great precursor to the game.

The best parts, though, are the ingame items. The Libram isn't too great, since it works on charges (3) and the two hour buff vanishes on death. But, each race receives two quest items that provide titles and a unique item, like a cool cape or an item that provides various bonsuses. The Collector's Edition faces are terrific. I've only seen the Destruction side versions so far, but the Chaos face looks like a cyclops, the dark elves get a red warpaint/birthmark and the goblin face is crazed, if adorable. Very cool and definitely noticeable.

All in all, a very worthwhile purchase that complements an excellent game. If you can get your hands on one, I'd doubly recommend it.

Onto the review.

Mythic knows how to run a successful MMO. They make the big, hard decisions. When class balancing and fun was at stake, they cut four classes in order to both balance the races, but also because the classes weren't up to snuff. And when all six capital cities were being problematic, they took out four of them and will release them as free content later.

Coming from Dark Age of Camelot, a game that unbearably belongs to the first generation of MMOs, Mythic decided to take the Warhammer lore and craft a game that they know best: realm versus realm. Warhammer Online (WAR) takes everything they tested, tried and made work from DAoC and pushed it forward into a new generation. Writing this review is tricky, because on the surface WAR is like most MMOs out there. But it's the details and the small things that make it something completely different.

Let's start with the way the game is set up. From the beginning, PvP is important as one of the first quests you receive will be to complete a scenario. In this way, WAR emphasizes its committment to more than PvE. In fact, a PvP'r could spend his or her time entirely PvPing and level all the way to the endgame. It helps that scenarios are constantly running and chances are you'll be in one before you know it.

The distinction, though, is that if you don't really care much about PvP, there are other opportunities. Spread throughout the entire game are approximately 300 (according to developers) Public Quests (PQs). These PQs are areas within each zone that are open to everyone of your side to participate in. No matter whether you're grouping with someone or not, you'll contribute to the various stages of these areas (stages that range from killing a number of things, fighting a boss like a dragon or destroying urns) and, when the PQ is over you roll on a loot bag. What makes this work even better is that each loot bag will have a piece of equpiment that your class can use, guaranteed.

Additionally, there's a bar that tracks your story chapter's PQ progress and awards you three different items (usually a potion or talisman, followed by equipment and then a weapon) as you progress through three tiers.

Awards abound at every turn, even in PvP as you are tracked separately by your PvP level. At certain levels, or renown ranks as they're called, you'll have access to not only powerful equipment but also renown skills that will help you in both PvP and PvE. But let's not stop here; each of the race pairings have zones that are grouped into tiers, with tier four being the high content. Each zone has PvP areas with towers and, as you progress into tier two and beyond, keeps. Both sides (Destruction and Order) can take over a keep and, if your guild is high enough in rank (more on that later), you can capture a keep in your name.

But keeps are also treated like PQ areas, being populated by NPCs and a very strong leader that also supplies equipment. Fighting into a keep can turn into epic encounters, with siege weapons, rams to break down the keep's walls, boiling oil for the defenders to pour onto wouldbe attackers, places for ranged attackers to unleash devastating spells and arrows...it's quite a rush to be involved in one, especially as both sides start to get more aggressive, calling in reinforcements to help.

And as the game progresses, these types of battles become more common. Which is a huge difference from the elephant in the room, World of Warcraft. WoW crafts a similar structure, with two side duking it out...but it was never meant to be a truly PvP-centered game in the way WAR is. From the very beginning, you are immersed in this warfare, from the very first level all the way to the end and beyond.

And all of this is before you get into how many bars/levels there are to tackle. Sure, the game is capped at level 40 at launch, but that's not taking into consideration that each chapter of PQs has a bar with loot associated to it or that there's 80 renown ranks that will take a lot of PvPing to hit, or that your guild actually levels up to 40 based not on how many members you have in your guild but on their accomplishments, a system that benefits both small and large guilds. Guild ranks are actually important as they provide you with a ton of abilities, from being able to carry benefit-providing standards to having a guild vault to access to guild auctions, crafting vendors, quick flight paths to the dungeons, the ability to take keeps, etc.

There's just so much here, so many shinies to grab your attention. And it's all tied into the Tome of Knowledge, a large compendium that tracks everything you do from quests to accomplishments to titles, etc. It's so indepth that you have to wonder how Mythic pulled it off. And pulled it off, they did. WAR is a monumentous game that feels as relevant and genre-shifting as WoW did when it came.

So, there you have it. A very rambling review that didn't even touch on half of what the game has to offer (did you really want to be here for another century?), but will have to remain incomplete. Because, here's the thing. Even when you strip away all the little details, the leveling and all of that junk that I spent forever typing about, what we find is...this game is fun. And diverse. And it's just what I wanted and needed from a MMO.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great game, September 20, 2008

By	Donald Siuchninski - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

Short and simple review: The game is wonderful.

Player vs. computer:

Quests- are easy to understand, quick to do, and most can be completed solo

Public quests- fun if you only have 20 minutes to play. You, can jump in the middle of quest, the end, or the beginning just by walking near the quest area. Rewards are good and if you do it a couple times you will win something.

Trade skills- simple and not as boring as past games. Example: If you choose the path of butchering, you level the skill as you kill monsters by spending an extra 1.5 sec after each pull butchering. Easy and you get somehwere doing it!

PvP:

Scenarios- mission based PvP. Capture the flag type games for example

Open RvR- Amazing. Nothing is more fun in the game then a group with 5 of your friends facing an enemy group of 6 players in the middle of nowhere! The mechanics work and skill is needed. Choose your target wisely... :) And remember to HEAL!

Graphics: Beautiful scenery. The lands for each race is increbile. I will not spoil anything! The characters are decent looking but could get a slight improvment. Mythic HAS stated in this article (http://herald.warhammeronline.com/warherald/NewsArticle.war?id=247) that as launch continues they will add more graphics options especially for people with high end computers. But don't worry, it is great now and will continue to be improved as the game progresses.

Sound: Not much music. Sorceress sound effects are quiet... but I like it. I never expect spells to be extremely loud. This might be personal preference though. Many NPC's talk too! I like the voices, doesnt seem over acted to me.

So: This is PERFECT for people who do not have a lot of time to play. If you do have a lot of time? Then you will get far and pretty powerful very quickly. You can only improve, so have fun!

Fun Factor: It is fun, and incredibly easy to lose track of time!

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9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stuff!, September 19, 2008

By	DryQuiet - See all my reviews

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

I won't be reviewing WAR as a game here. If you want game reviews, you can look lots of places. Here I will review the CE box, and the special stuff you get with it. =D WARNING: LONG

Grumlock and Gazbag Miniature: This is a high quality pewter miniature. If you're a Warhammer Tabletop player, you know that a miniature like this may cost you about $20 retail alone. It's a great mini, full of character. If you're NOT a Warhammer Tabletop player, then all you get is a lump of unpainted pewter, that you don't know what to do with! Give it to a friend who has an Orc and Goblin army in Tabletop, he or she will love it.

Prelude to War: A hardcover graphic novel. There are 6 stories, one for each race. Each of the stories are about 10 pages long. The illustration is excellent, and the pages are nice and glossy. The stories give some great insight into the events leading up to the conflict you see in the game, and are quick, fun reads.

The Art of Warhammer Online: If you like the art style of the game, you'll love this book. It's huge at 222 pages, with each race and class having a place, and several pages of monster concept art. In the pages of the book the artists and designers explain a little of their thinking that went into all the designs. To me, the look of a game, particularly an MMO, is hugely important. It sets the feel and tone for the areas, races and classes. So, to have some insight into what the artists were thinking, and then to see those thoughts put to motion in the game is really fun for me. The Art of Warhammer was the biggest reason I went for the CE, and I was not dissapointed.

Bonus In Game Items: There are actually more than listed here, as I'll explain below in the quests section. The Libram of Insight seems like a very handy item. It does not only add a 15% xp bonus for an hour on use, but a bonus to influence and renown gained as well. I haven't used it yet myself, i'm saving it for later levels when xp and renown are harder to come by!

Additional Quests: The entry here is misleading. It says "Twelve additional quests." There are 12 additional quests, but it's important to note that there are only 2 additional quests per race. 2 quests and 6 races = 12 total additional quests, but you will only be able to do 2 of them for any one character you make. On the plus side, each of the two quests will grant you an exclusive title, and a reward item, neither of which can be obtained any other way, so you actually get 3 exclusive items and 2 titles, when you include the Libram of Insight. The quests are not difficult, and are fun.

Bonus Character Head Models: Again, misleading. You do not have 12 additional heads to choose from for any one character. There are only 2 additional heads per race, 1 male and 1 female. 2 head models, 6 races, 12 total head models. Also, you do not have the new head models to choose at character creation. You receive them in the mail, in game (in fact, you receive all the bonus content as in game mail.) You then take the item that represents the head to a vendor in game that can dye items, place it in the special trophy slot, and if you accept, it is applied to your character. This process cannot be reversed. Furthermore, the head models aren't exactly full models. Many of them retain most of whatever head you chose, and apply some special trophy or feature to them; a blindfold over the eyes for the High Elves, a small keg braided into the beard of Dwarf males, etc. The models ARE very unique, and unlike any of the normal options available, so they are distinctive. However, the head models and their implementation were the most disappointing aspect of the Collectors Edition for me.

Overall, the WAR Collectors Edition is fantastic. In most collectors editions, you get maybe a single in game item, an artbook with little or no artist commentary, and a big fancy box. Here you get a graphic novel, a huge artbook full of the artists insight, a miniature, 3 in game items, 2 titles, 2 quests, and at least 1 very distinctive head model, per character. If you're a fan of the Warhammer world, and a fan of Warhammer Online, grab one of these Collectors Editions, while you still can!