EVE Online
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EVE Online Apocrypha
The best Sci-Fi MMO keeps getting better
CCP, the developers of EVE Online, have released their 11th content update or expansion called Apocrypha and if you only read the first sentence of the review to put it bluntly it makes this amazing game even better. This new expansion adds much to the overall game and should bring new gamers to the huge universe and even have some return to see what has been added. What exactly has been added includes new wormholes which can send you to unknown areas of space, new ships such as the T3 Strategic Cruisers, and new tutorials for the gamer new to EVE, new skill queue and more. It is an impress feat to add so much to an already massive universe.
The story of EVE Online is about as un-cliché and unique as you can expect in a video game now days and I take my hat off to the developers for not taking the easy route and making things plain, simple and boring. Basically the main races of the game all comes from what was once Earth and human kind had begun to explore the universe, but an apocalyptic event thousands of years ago cut off these civilizations from Earth and each other and now with advances in technology allowing them to interact things have begun to get interesting. There is a fragile peace in place but how long it lasts is anyone’s guess.
Gameplay
EVE Online is a beautifully complex game as there is no more complex Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPG) on the video game market that I have played and I have played a ton of them. But complex is not always a bad thing gameplay wise and with EVE Online that is certainly the case. Because in this case complex mean you need more patience and a good memory for what is happening than you would just running into the fray in your average crafty dungeon MMO game.
Like all other MMORPG’s and RPG’s you have a skill base which you add to one way or another. In EVE, you constantly train these skills by adding them to your Training Queue and you will begin to learn that specific skill set. Such as your ability to fly your ship better, mine with better equipment, fly bigger ships, and use new weapons and more. What makes EVE unique in this aspect is, even when you are offline you are still learning your skills and when real life is keeping you busy you would only need to log in once a day or two and add new skills to learn to your queue. Eventually skills begin to take longer and longer to learn but this is important because you will need to tweak your character to fit your play style.
You will spend the majority of your time in EVE Online in space flying from a space dock to an asteroid to mine, or even find something to blow up on your various missions given to you by the various agents in the galaxy. These missions can be simple delivery missions, mining and refinery missions to hunting and killing missions, which I find very hard but then again I am more of a player who builds and enjoys mining the cosmos of its natural resources.
In EVE Online you do not directly control your ship like other ship based MMORPG’s I have tried. While you do set your speed, warp, direction and more it is not a twitch based game but something more akin to playing a starship command game with you issuing commands and having the ship respond. Such commands are warp to within a certain distance, orbit an object or ship, dock, autopilot and many more. In the beginning this might seem to add to a slow game but when you realize that eventually you will be playing with giant cruisers and have a huge arsenal at your command you would not want to have a twitch game but what CCP has delivered with EVE Online.
To get the most out of EVE Online you should join, but it is not required for you anti-social gamers out there, a corporation, which is like a guild or clan from other MMORPG’s. Besides having other like minded individuals to assist you or even protect you it is always nice to have someone to talk to and compliment your skill base with theirs. You cannot build everything, shoot everything or even mine enough to become a powerful individual without spending a majority of your life in the game so it’s best to play with others if Universal conquest is your game.
There is so much gameplay wise to deal with in EVE Online that mentioning or attempting to even mention a small portion of the game would be futile. My second character is almost completely different from the first and whiles the initial missions are the same or similar after a few hours my miner and transport character is a completely different experience than my other character which I use to get into a few scraps with the fun but very hectic PvP (Player versus Player) experience. It is best to try the trial game and see if you can find yourself in this deep and rewarding game.
Graphics and Audio
EVE Online has always been a great looking and sounding title but you would expect that a game like this would begin to lose its beauty, but with periodic updates to the engine and art assets the game is still great looking and runs great. Every ship, space station, sector, asteroid, warp gate and more just looks amazing and in high detail with all the bells and whistles turned on the graphics begin to have this eerie realistic look to them. The games audio is great and it has to do mostly with how subtle the music and environmental sounds are which do their job and never overpower the gamer by sounding out of place or too strong or weak. EVE has this pure space based sci-fi visual and audio feast for you and you will enjoy it.
Value
A MMORPG’s value is hard to give a real number to as some players may only play once a week, while others will sit down and grind their way through a games content for 8 hours a night and 18 hours on the weekend. But in the case of EVE Online and its incredible gameplay mechanics, rich universe and it is the type of game you actually accomplish something if you are playing for 30 minutes the game has an outstanding value for single player MMO players and especially for those more social gamers.
Bottom Line
I was an original beta tester for EVE Online way back in the day and loved it. Though at launch I did not buy it and subscribe right away, I was a Evercrack addict, I came back to it about a year later and have enjoyed it on and off since then. This new expansion makes it easier to get in to the game, but it is still a gigantic learning curve for some people and that is my only gripe as people without patience will not play it so you may be forced to find in-game friends to play with. This game was a must buy for MMORPG fans who are looking for a truly deep and expanding space based science fiction universe and after spending the last couple of weeks with it again I have to say it is a better buy today. Give the trial a spin and give the game a real chance to draw you into this incredible universe.
Pros
+ Great looking game
+ Another fantastic expansion just launched with Apocrypha
+ Gameplay is outstanding
+ Skill system is brilliant
+ Huge living universe full of people at all times
+ Do what you want, how you want
+ Awesome avatar creation system
+ Ships and stations are not carbon copies of each other
+ Great community and customer management system
+ To get the most out of the game you need to join a corporation (guild, clan, etc)
+ PvE and PvP on a single server and PvP is not harsh or really required
+ Over 8000 star systems to explore (HOLY SHIT)
Cons
- Still a very steep learning curve which will scare away the ADD crowd
- You need patience for this game
- Sometimes does not make things perfectly clear on what you are to do
- Drama happens in this game and it happens big… just Google it
- Complex gameplay can feel a bit too complex at times
Final Verdict
Here's a small guide to help you understand our evaluation of games.
PRESENTATION GRADE
Can be from the game's box to the contents of the booklet, and even the game introduction. (Intro, menus, options, etc)
GRAPHIC GRADE
Up to what point the graphics have been worked on my the developper. The design type, the effort used for textures and environments, as well as animations and framerate.
AUDIO GRADE
Is the soundtrack a good match to the game's style, he ambient sounds keeping with the gameplay and the sound effects clear and convincing?
GAMEPLAY GRADE
Placement of the controls and the inferface that the player with be using during the game.
REPLAY VALUE GRADE
The most important factor in the evaluation of a game. It identifies the lifespan of the game and the fun of coming back again and again.
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