Neocron Preview
This online RPG actually looks and plays like a first-person shooter. Read our impressions of it inside.
German developer Reakktor.com is taking a novel approach in creating its new cyberpunk online RPG. Instead of building the game around the same old "click and wait" combat style that so many other MMORPGs use, the combat in Neocron will look and feel much more like what you'd find in a first-person shooter. The fast-paced, in-your-face combat is just a mere hint of Neocron's appeal, however, as the game promises to deliver a number of unique and intriguing gameplay features. Knee-deep in the beta testing phase right now, Neocron clearly has a number of issues and incomplete features. However, even a brief hands-on experience with the beta version of Neocron impressed us quite a bit. The game so effectively combines shooter and RPG elements that it is hard to imagine it not carving out a sizable niche in the MMORPG arena.
Like Funcom's Anarchy Online, Neocron is set in the far future. Apparently, the earth of Neocron's 28th century setting is mostly uninhabitable. Most of the planet surface is a depressing montage of vast wastelands, highlighted here and there by old industrial facilities and populated by people-hating mutants and other nasty creatures. The only truly livable areas on Earth are the few remaining cities, Neocron being the most populous. Reakktor hopes to include three major cities on Earth (Neocron, York, and Tokyo II) as well as two more on distant space colonies, but only Neocron will be accessible when the game launches this spring. The rest may be brought online at unspecified future dates, depending on how popular and successful the game becomes.
The city of Neocron is split into four major zones--Pepper Park, Plaza, ViaRossa, and the Outzone. As you can probably guess, the Outzone is a fringe area where players are afforded very little protection from the in-game law enforcement agents, known as CopBots. Pepper Park, home to the game's red light district, is a little safer, but it still gets only cursory attention from the CopBots. Plaza and ViaRossa are safe areas, however, and are continuously patrolled by the CopBots. During the beta, Pepper Park seemed like the hot spot for players and, unfortunately, a crafty group of exploiters, who ran around killing and looting other players.
When the game launches, player killing will not be an option right out of the gate. All new players begin the game with a special implant--the law enforcer--which prevents you from targeting other players. This in turn prevents you from killing them. You can have the chip removed, however, and gain the ability to kill--and be killed by--other players. Players who have removed the chip can also get slightly more experience and lower skill requirements for using various items, so there is some incentive to put yourself at risk in this way. Interestingly, players who kill other players will gain no experience for doing so, nor will their skills increase. The big reward for player killing, then, lies in the visceral thrill of the thing as well as the ability to loot the victim once the deed is done.
Neocron Quick Links
Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Downloads | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices
Games you may like…
-
Neocron 2
(PC) -
Mimesis Online
(PC) -
Anarchy Online: Notum Wars
(PC) -
Vendetta Online
(PC) -
Feng Shui
(PC)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games
0 Comments