User Rating: 6.7 | Horizons: Empire of Istaria PC
This game is off to a rocky start so far, but it has the possibility to be a great game. Let me start by saying that Horizons does not intend to be a ground breaking game. This is your standard Dwarves, Elves, Dragons and Level 2 Beetles game. First off, the graphics. The graphics aren't great, but the combat animations are very well done. After playing 2 years of EverQuest, these animations are incredible. Your fighter will jump and dodge as he evades and attacks. Most of the character models are a little... well, ugly. I didn't find any of them very visually stunning. The Post Luclin models in EverQuest look better than the ones in Horizons. The environments are very well done. If you visit one of the "Lava" areas you'll know what I mean! The area gives off a fiery glow, making it feel warm and alive. The sound is very good for a MMORPG. It is not dull or muffled, as it is in many other games. Some of the music is very well done and is of much better quality than any other MMORPG I have played. I do, however, have a few problems with the game. First off, there is no launch program. The game is launched from their website, which most people will say could be worse, but to me it feels like a lack of effort on their part. Also, if you do not have a VERY good computer you will run into problems with NPCs and PCs not loading until you wait a minute or two. I could not find a NPC I was looking for because she would not load. This game could be a very good game if they can hammer out some of the problems. A launch program would be great, for one thing. I cannot really recommend this game to anyone for money. If they release a trial version, sure, pick it up and try it out. But for 49 dollars? Nope, stick with EverQuest.
