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Anarchy Online: Alien Invasion
by Jolex Del Pilar
Wednesday, October 20 2004
The world of Rubi-Ka is no longer alone.
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Title:
Anarchy Online: Alien Invasion
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Platform:
PC Windows, Pentium II 450, 128MB Ram, 1.2GB of HD space, 32 MB video card.
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Publisher:
Funcom |
Developer:
Funcom |
#
of Players: Hundreds. |
Genre:
MMORPG
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Origin:
Norway
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Expected
Release:
September 2004 |
Grapevine:
From a buggy, crash prone, game to a stable and entertaining piece of software, Alien Invasions is an expansion that most MMORPG fans can enjoy. |
Last year we had our first experience in the rich world of Rubi-Ka, the setting for Anarchy Online's long running MMORPG, when we reviewed Shadowlands. Rather than a medieval-type world as those featured in EverQuest, and World of WarCraft, Rubi-Ka is a techno-fantasy groupies dream. Players in the game can be seen wearing black trench coats, and futuristic armor that would one would expect to see in the world's of Blade Runner, or Star Wars.
The story of the game is simple. Humans have expanded into every corner of the galaxy, and one planet in particular known for its rich reserves of Notum (a very valuable resource), Rubi-Ka, has been the subject of a heated struggle. Omni-Tek, a galaxy sized corporation has staked a claim on the planet, though rebel clans have also done the same. This has lead to minor and sometimes major skirmishes between the two sides. There are neutral parties, and of course the neutral Jobe Scientist, but the arrival of an extraterrestrial threat is what really shakes things up on Rubi-Ka.
Alien Invasion takes place during this tumultuous time on Rubi-Ka. As a member of either the clans or Omni-Tek, both sides must fight off the threat of alien conquest. The game adds a lot of new features in this expansion. I'll take you through some of the important ones.
One new feature that was added to give guilds more content as a whole was the addition of guild created cities. These are towns created by different guilds/organization in the game. The benefits of having a city are plentiful. They allow for a meeting place, a place to improve stats and skills (some buildings boost stats), and a place to change the physical appearance of your character. They are also the cities that are targeted for invasions. Invaders choose cities based on some criteria such as the number of guild members, the level of those members, what time they are usually on, how many times the city has been attacked, and how often that city has prevailed. The server stores this information and invades based upon these factors. There are buildings that can be built to reduce the chances of invasion, such as a cloaking device, but sooner or later, a green mothership will be hovering above your city beaming down alien troops. Once that aliens drop, your defense will either result in a heavily damaged city, or a crashing mothership. As the battle is raged, a meter will indicate how much of the city remains free. An alien general will eventually beam down to try and destroy the city controller. If a successful defense is conducted, guild members are then able to board the alien ships themselves, and kill the alien leader aboard the ship, though they only have limited time to do so. This results in lots of experience for those involved in the battle. It also results in uber-alien loot in the form of technology, weaponry, and armor. As a game concept, it's a very interesting way of giving guild's missions as a whole in a new and different way than quest. These are the type of innovations that will keep MMORPGs fresh, and viable.
Alien ships will circle a city before invasion, this adds significantly to the mood of the game.
The aliens aren't restricted to higher level players either, though only the real aliens will appear once you've progressed through the game a little. Still, even a Level 1 player will be able to hunt alien spiders, as unthreatening as that sounds, it still gets you Alien experience which will lead to specific trait boost.
The expansion pack also adds some aesthetic qualities to the game such as new guild house buildings, new clothing and air vehicles for characters, and decorative items for player built cities. Perhaps one of the most interesting new systems is the player shops concept. Similar to the economic system in EverQuest 2, and ebay.com, players can put their items for sale through a kiosk located in cities in the game. These kiosks can be browsed by other players who will make offers for items even when a player is offline. A successful transaction will lead to money and a new item for those involved. However, at the time of this writing, the feature was disabled due to an error that currently risk player items being deleted. Funcom promises that the feature will be fixed in the coming weeks.
However given all these little additions, the real meat is in the Alien Invasion concept. I had a chance to sample a mock battle with a Funcom community manager, and found it to be entertaining due to the immersion of the whole thing. Alien ships will buzz overhead before an invasion, and an undoubted musical cue will bring the player to notice. The aliens themselves are menacing, and very cool looking to boot. I wish I could've seen a full-scale battle with other players, but the mock battle was done as to not disturb the flow of the game world. Still, it's a very intriguing concept.
The expansion pack retails for $29.99, which for the new content is about right. Given that the original Anarchy Online is now available for free download, you can have the original and the expansion pack for no more than your average discounted PC game. If you're a fan of Anarchy Online, and current subscriber, then buying the expansion is a no-brainer. For brand new players, the price isn't bad, though as with most MMORPGs, there is a monthly fee which is priced by how much time you buy in bulk (1 month cost $14.95, while 1 year will cost you 7.95 a month).
Though Alien Invasion isn't on the level of visual detail that EverQuest 2 or World of Warcraft are currently on, the expansion is a worthy addition to an MMORPG that has grown during the past few years. From a buggy, crash prone, piece of software to a stable and entertaining game, Anarchy Online: Alien Invasion is an expansion that most MMORPG fans can enjoy.
--- Jolex Del Pilar
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