Allods Online Game Review

Allods Online is a game that first comes across as a “Wow” clone.  After playing Allods for quite some time I can safely say that the similarities end with the game's look.  This game has quite a few unique features that even I was unable to experience first hand due to my level.  Allods offers two sides to join, one being the League, and the other is the Empire.  The League is what most would consider to be the “good guys” although there really is no good or evil, just two opposing sides. 

League Capital ~ Novagrad

Once you choose your side you must choose your race and class.  I was quite happy with the possibilities at this point, although I would have liked to see more then only 3 races.  Nevertheless there is enough variety to make a character that you will enjoy.  I made a Kanian Druid as my main character.  This is basically a human character.  


From the Allods Website directly:
 “In the year 4015 of the Old Era the Great Cataclysm struck Sarnaut. The planet was shattered into thousands of pieces by the destructive energy of the Astral, a mysterious substance which began to surround Sarnaut. From the planet's remnants there emerged tiny chunks of land that floated in the Astral, called allods.”


As for my thoughts on this game, I really like it.  Obviously the first thing anyone will see is the graphical style used.  As said before, it is very similar to World of Warcraft, however, once you start playing you realize there is more to it than just that.  I find the graphics are very polished in this game.  As a free to play game I was quite impressed at the time and detail that went into it.  The audio score for Allods is also very well done.  There are plenty of unique sound effects and an extensive musical soundtrack.  My only complaint about this would be that I found that while in a battle there doesn't seem to be any special “combat” music.  Other than that one complaint, I am very happy and give the game an 8.5 / 10 for Audio Visual.

My Druid ~ Carsina

The amount of content in this game is quite impressive as well for a free to play game.  With the new 3.0 update coming out sometime in February adding more content to an already great game will be a very welcome patch.  This game has a detailed and well laid out history.  The main quest line is well thought out and doesn't feel like some of the other repetitive quests that other mmos make you do.  This game is complete with features such as PvP, Guilds, PvE, a complete Auction House, unique tradeskill system, plus more.  I would give this a 9 / 10 for game content.


I would like to add at this point that I have been given a chance to play the new 3.0 patch and I am excited for the release.  They are introducing a new class, The Bard, as well as more features that I am sure people will be happy about. 


As for fun, this game is quite similar to any other mmorpg out there.  If you enjoy games like Wow, or Everquest I am sure you will enjoy this one as well.  There are some cool higher level things to do such as PvP ship battles and exploring new allods, however I was not able to get to that level in my reviewing of this game.  I do however find this to be a fun game and I will continue playing even after this review is complete.  I give it a 7.5 / 10 for Fun.


The gameplay in Allods in my opinion is very well done.  This game is easy to play, the game mechanics work very well.  I haven't been in a position where I just didn't know what to do, or how to do it.  This is always somewhat a difficult category to rate a game on, and to me it's more of how the game “feels” when I play it.  I think of things such as how easy it is to move around, and find / use important things, such as bags, character interfaces etc.  In Allods I didn't have any trouble with any of these things.  I am very happy with the gameplay and would consider this to be of professional quality.  I give this category a 9 / 10.


And for my last rating, Replay value, I would say this is a tough one.  One the one hand you can replay the game using a lot of different characters and classes, however with only two starting areas and the same questlines this can get old quick.  I would be ok making two or three characters, but I wouldn't want to do the tutorial area or begining quests more than that.  I think that to make this more replayable gpotato would have to have some more choices in starting locations.  As for now I would give this a 6/ 10.

Astral Ship

To sum it all up, I really do like this game and would 100% recommend it to anyone that enjoys online role playing games.  This is a free to play game that doesn't constantly remind you that you should buy items or features.  The Item Shop is there and you can get cool gear / mounts etc by using your hard earned cash, or you can just play this game and enjoy all that it has to offer. In total I give this game a solid 8 / 10.


I hope you enjoy this game as much as I do and please don't forget to let me know what you think of this review.  

Game Review - Age of Empires Online

Age of Empires Online is the newest game in the Age of Empires franchise. This time around Microsoft Studios decided to try and turn this game into a MMO RTS (massively multiplayer online real time strategy). So, this leaves the question... What features did they include to make this a true MMO?

My first impressions of this game were positive. I like the graphics style, something “fun” about the cartoon like graphics. There are some nice comical animations with the units, for example I liked the camels being led around by a bucket of water.

The quest system is a nice addition to this game. I feel this added some role playing aspect to it, but still to me this didn't create the big “MMO” experience I was looking for. In fact I don't believe you even have an avatar to represent yourself in this game. Having some sort of avatar is a key piece of a MMO game and lacking that takes away from this game in my opinion.

The capital city is your main home. Depending on your style of play and the choices you make when developing this city you will be able to upgrade and develop new units as well as make new choices in what advancements are available.

The crafting system in this game deserves to be mentioned. I find the possibility of making more units and support items is a nice addition. But, on the other hand if you are not prepared for the battle beforehand you could get into trouble. One thing I do not like about the crafting system is how limiting it is. You can only have one crafting school at a time and to relearn a previously known school will cost you 1000 coin. So, be wary of that when you are playing.

I did try a few Co-op missions with a friend and was happy with how easy it was to play. Working together it was not much of a challenge to locate ad defeat the enemy. Granted we were playing lower level missions, perhaps there will be more challenge at the higher levels where coop will be more a requirement then a bonus. Coop mode worked very well for me in this game, I had no issues at all in this regard.

As a Microsoft game there is no surprise that it uses “Games for Windows LIVE”. I use it for a few different games I play and have had no issues with it at all. If you do choose to make any purchases to enhance this game, the Games for Windows LIVE is the place to do that. Be careful with this, as purchasing everything here can add up to a nice sum...

On Amazon right now I can buy the complete collection of Age of Empires III for $31.49 CAD. For my pocketbook this would be a much wiser investment if I wanted a complete Age of Empires RTS game.

So, back to the main question I have been searching for, what makes this a MMO game. You have to log in to play it, I know that much. You can play with friends and play Pvp with complete strangers... but I personally do not see the true MMO definition being met here in this game. I see a Multiplayer RTS game that you can Pvp with friends and strangers, but I don't think this is on the same scale as other mmo's such as Everquest, or WoW.

For my “official” rating of this game I find that it is a fun game to play, especially when playing with friends (Fun Factor: 7.5/10). The amount of content in this game is decent. There are several areas to play in. That said, you are limited to only 2 races and limited units. The strategy to get people hooked, and wanting to spend more leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and that seems to be the case with this game (Content 6/10).

The game play mechanics are just ok in my opinion. This is a typical RTS game with typical game play. I don't feel they “raised the bar” with this game (Gameplay 5.5/10). As for the Audio and Visual, I was pleased. They style of graphics was cartoon like with decent quality and style. The sound effects were very nice and I enjoyed the music as well (Audio/Visual 7.5/10). If you are a diehard fan of Age of Empires and RTS games in general then you could probalby sit and play this game for quite a while, for the average person though I think the replay value for this game drops over time. The addition of Quests and Missions definitely helps, and does keep people wanting to carry on, however with the lack of Races to choose from I can't see myself starting a new race and doing it all again (Replay 6/10).

The really good thing about this game is that it doesn't require a lot of time to get into and play. You can put in as little as 20 minutes, or get lost in a battle for an hour or more. I consider small to medium time investment required for Age of Empires Online. This really depends on you ultimately.

All in all I do consider this a fun game, but once you've exhausted the Free to Play features you will get bored and to relieve that boredom you must spend cash. Like I said, I can get AoE III Complete with expansions for $31.49! I'd much rather do that then put money into this game.

I give this game a 6.5 out of 10. This is a fun game to check out, and in the end you just waste a bit of time if it's not for you. You can choose to spend some extra cash to enhance this game, but really consider if it is worth it.