Champions of Norath

[Drakonic Duke]

I wanted to know if this game was good before I bought it. It looks good, but I need to hear what everyone else thinks first.

[Agent X]

I really like it, and this is coming from someone who normally doesn't like role-playing games. It's really more of an action-RPG, along the same lines as Gauntlet or Diablo, but set in the EverQuest universe.

 

You can play alone or up to four players, with players in the same room or over the Internet (and no pay-to-play fees!). I've only played the game online once with a friend, and it was quite enjoyable. I recommend using a USB headset for online communication, but keyboard chat is also supported.

 

There are five classes of characters, and an amazing assortment of in-game objects (weapons, armor, etc.). Some objects have magical enchantments (for example, being able to recover mana more quickly, or adding fire or ice to a weapon attack), and you can also find magical items to combine with existing weapons or armor to enhance their power. Each character class also has its own set of spells and abilities; more of these become available as you advance through experience levels.

 

The graphics are stunning. The game was developed by Snowblind Studios, who also developed Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. If you're familiar with the beuatiful visuals of that game, then Champions of Norrath kicks it up a notch, with even more varied and detailed environments, including awesome lighting and some of the best water effects in the business.

 

The game also features random level generation. Whenever you start a new game (as opposed to loading an existing game), most of the level layouts (with the exceptions being the city hubs) are generated randomly, along with object placements. This means that after you beat the game, you can take your character and embark on a new adventure with an entirely fresh set of levels. This gives the game a lot more replay value than most other games of this type.

 

If you like action RPG's, then I recommend that you give this game a try!

[jedijeff]

I enjoyed it quite a bit. The voice chat was great for talking to some of my friends that I don't see very often anymore.

 

One thing to watch out for though is that it has a few bugs that were never fixed. Most of the problems occur when you are online. But even with the bugs it was well worth it.

 

Jeff

[RJ]

I haven't/don't play it online but the only "bug" I saw was the playfield takes awhile redrawing itself sometimes (usually after I died repeatedly)

 

Every review I've read gives it at least 8 / 10 & says better than Baldur's Gate II.

 

Pick it up.