Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach
Review
As enjoyable as you make it for yourself
by Rook
reviewed on PC
Graphics
The graphics of DDO and how they brings Stormreach to life may not be groundbreaking, but they are impressive nonetheless. The diverse city environments are rich in color detail and well animated. Unfortunately, Stormreach can feel a bit barren of native life since the only non-player characters (NPCs) you will see populating the streets will be guards, trainers or characters related to a quest and most of them are static except for simple animations. The graphic requirements of the title are pretty high, but after tweaking with the options menus, mid grade machines should be able to run it smoothly enough. To help relieve lag however, DDO has taken a lesson from Guild Wars by creating several instances of the same zone when you are in common areas with other players throughout the city. At peak hours, you may easily see six or seven different 'Harbor' areas active. DDO also utilizes instant zone content throughout most of the game. Every mission you will perform will be in your own instant zone. For those not familiar with the MMO genre, this is a zone that only you and your group has access to - your own personal dungeon.
The DM has spoken
Dungeons and Dragons Online makes great use of ambient sound and environmental music according to what the party may be experiencing throughout their adventures. Harbor side may be serene and soothing but once you step into that haunted crypt, the mood becomes very different. The music score is intertwined with the game perfectly and you almost forget that it's there. It is seamless with the action on the screen and blends everything together into one big scene.
The voice acting by the Dungeon Master (DM) is extremely well done. The DM will chime in on occasion with flavor text and important information about the mission at hand. It is reported that the father of Dungeons and Dragons himself, Gary Gygax guest stars as your DM in certain later missions.
Interface
The interface of DDO may be one of the biggest challenges for those who already play other MMO titles. Although everything can be remapped according to your personal taste, the default key mapping and controls are unique to DDOs action-based play style. It takes some time to get used to it and to fine tune it to what you are comfortable with. Do not allow yourself to get too frustrated over it, find the settings you like and give the interface time and it will become as easy, if not easier than standard key mappings. The rest of the on-screen interface is a bit cluttered, but still remains very functional and easy to access during downtime or during combat.
Wait, I've seen this tunnel before
Since DDO is the newest of the ever growing MMORPG genre, its replayability is very good. Initially, out of launch, many have complained about the 'low' level cap (set at level 10) and the lack of high level endgame content. It must be pointed out that a D&D level 20 is an epic character and is the same as an endgame character in other MMOs. This level 10 cap will leave substantial room for expansion over the life of this title.
The one glaring issue I have found with DDO is that nothing ever changes. You can run the different characters though the same mission and the mission will always be identical in every way except the chance of a rare spawned enemy. The enjoyment of this sort of static environment will only last until the 'new game' feel wears off. Considering the current content, the complete lack of PvP and the ability to play evil-aligned characters, the current lifespan of this title may become tragically short to all but the hardcore D&D fans. If content is expanded regularly and the richly unique world of Eberron is expanded to include more than the one city and local countryside, then the game may fare better with the general MMO players who are accustomed to large worlds such as World of Warcraft and Everquest.
In closing, I leave you with this
Dungeons and Dragons Online is the type of game that will be only as enjoyable as you make it for yourself. If you get caught up in the mechanics of the game, racing to level 10 as fast as you can, this title holds nothing for you. D&D is about the players, the interaction with each other as you overcome impossible odds with your character and your party. It is born from the greatest and longest lived tabletop RPG which has also been the inspiration and influenced every fantasy based MMORPG from classic MUDs to WoW and EQ2. This title will be a love-hate issue with many players. Either the players will find it a fascinating and refreshing change from the farmer infested grind of EQ and WoW or become utterly bored with it because of its slow advancement pace, lack of high level raid content and no way to 'prove their worth' on PvP fields. Dungeons and Dragons Online, with all of its flaws is a solid well built title. It may never become a MMO giant as other titles have, but its fan base will be loyal and long-lasting.
8.0
fun score
No Pros and Cons at this time
