Tabula Rasa
Preview
NCSoft has brought us some very successful MMORPGs, this is another
by Rook
previewed on PC
An MMO universe at war
Tabula Rasa is an MMORPG at its core, however, it has been crossbred with elements of a shooter which offers a unique and fresh gameplay style. Combat is fast and enjoyable to say the least. It offers some major challenges by keeping the player on his toes at all times and stressing a situational awareness of what is going on around him. Even though you have an enemy on the run in front of you, that doesn?t mean you?re home-free. Who is to say some Bane Thrax soldiers aren?t moving up from behind? This is not to mislead you into thinking that the AI is exceptionally advanced, but you have to know what is going on around you. With the chaos of the action that will be taking place around the player, voice communication is the most effective means of communication with your group. With this in mind, a voice chat function will be of the utmost importance.
The war between humanity and the Bane is very
dynamic. NPC allies will come and go and the enemy forces will ebb and flow in relation to the players? actions as a whole. As one planet is captured in the name of humanity, humanity might be getting a grade ?A? beating elsewhere and lose two planets. It is up to the player community to continue the fight and maintain control of the allied planets.
Logos, trademarks of the superhuman
In the detailed history of Tabula Rasa, you will learn about the race called the Eloh and how it plays an enormous role in the war and the very survival of humanity. Logos is an ability born of the Eloh?s pictographic language that allows the player to manipulate the environment around him. That may sound a little strange, but when I tell you that it often times mimics superhuman or supernatural effects, you should get the idea. Each player will have his own ?Logos tablet? that will allow him to learn a variety of Logos as you advance in level and power. This ?spell like? ability provides the player with an extra dimension to the game, adding diversity to play style and groups.
Support the AFS
With anticipation quickly building and support for the AFS ?cause? spreading further into the ranks of the MMO community, Tabula Rasa can easily become one of the hottest MMO titles of this year. With an amazing showing at E3 2006, it was obvious that Tabula Rasa was well within its latter stages of development and showing now real signs of slowing. Currently release is tentatively set for the year 2007 and, rest assured, HG will be there when the floodgates open and the first shots are fired upon release.
