Very polished Traditional mmo. Expansion and f2p make this a must play.
Very abundant endgame includes a vast # of raids, dungeon modes, world bosses and world events. Character playstyles and talent trees are extremely rich. Solid graphics and very polished and complete game. Traditional wow-like mmo combat but perhaps a step backwards. Somewhat immersive world and storyline. Traditional dull questing but mixes in many world events and an instant adventure group questing mode. Poor world pvp. Good battlegrounds and "pvp rifts" are interesting. Bad pvp gear grind at max level.
Rift Review:
Rift is a very polished mmorpg with solid graphics, a top notch PVE endgame, and a ultra-rich talent system to build your character, how you want. Rift offers a whole lot of good. However, most of what is offered, is only what is expected from fans of the genre. So as good as the game is, it may leave you with the feeling that you've done this all before. Rift brings little innovation. But, what it does, it does well.
Rift has a very unique talent system and is one of the highlights to the game. The talent system, while being alittle much at times, is really fun to mess around with. And you have the sometimes daunting feeling that you can create a unique playstyle that's all your own. The graphics are very solid but nothing to write home about. Still the graphics are good and feel up to date.
Rift has a large game world with a large variety of environments. And, in comparison to most other free to play mmorpg's, Rift brings an intriguing story with it. The overall immersion of the game is good, but with Rift, you always have that feeling that, "it could be better."
Rift's biggest plus to date is the PVE endgame that it brings along. Rift's endgame is the absolute best of any free to play game. There are many dungeons, raids and world bosses to take on. Since Rift carry's a new free-to-play business model, and offers such a phat pve endgame, it is an extremely good choice for those who enjoy endgame raiding and are looking for a breath of slightly fresh air from games such as world of warcraft and the like.
Questing however, is pretty bland in rift although the instant adventures are a nice implementation to break up the monotony. Still, standard quests are average for mmos with exclamation points and quest text. The game's questing design shines through through many world events such as rifts and invasions. When a rift tears in the sky and nasty enemies drop out, it's a fantastic site to see. During rifts and invasion, enemies and bosses need to be defeated. If they aren't, they will take over nearby towns and quest hubs, spreading throughout the zone and causing havok to the world. These are a nice addition to the game and a good way to break up the otherwise dull questing.
The pvp in Rift is in my opinion, not up to snub. Not much world pvp. Battlegrounds are fun but not really different from say, wow. The grind for gear in pvp is one of the worst grinds i've ever taken part of. There is also no end game pvp(no arena or ranked competition.)
You also get sort of "home instance" like guild wars 2 but in Rift, you can design, build and decorate your surroundings. Guilds can have their own home instance too and you can get really creative with it. There are some really amazing modern minecraft like designs that players and guilds have come up with. It's a great addition to the game.
The Combat in Rift is just like wow's although it's alittle more lacking imo, but not by much. Just to my preference anyhow. The movement and animations especially are not all that great imo. Caster animations are alittle dull with not alot of spark.
Rift is a very solid mmorpg and one of the best out right now. It's a very respectable game. Rift is very polished and all around good. It has a vast world, solid gameplay, good graphics and an endgame that warrants a monthly subscription. But, now that's it free to play, it's definitely a must play.
Summary Score:
-Graphics 9/10 Great graphics and textures. Great lighting effects and great attention to detail.
-Gameplay 7.5/10 Traditional wow-like combat however, talent trees are unique and playstyle possibilities are rich and abundant.
-Animations(movement and combat/spell effects) 7.5/10 Spell and meele combat animations feel abit dull. Movement and world animations are very good however.
-Questing 7/10 Traditional repetitive questing but addition of instant adventures, rifts and invasions makes leveling tolerable.
-Immersion (storyline, lore, soundtrack, environment) 8.5/10 There's a solid storyline here . The environments, rifts and world events do alot to make you feel part of what's happening to this world. The soundtrack is very solid.
-PVP 6.5/10 Sparse world pvp. Pretty good battleground and newly introduced "pvp rifts." No end game pvp though, and a pvp gear grind that may make you cry.
-PVE (dungeons, bosses and endgame) - 9.5/10 Vast number of dungeons, raids and world bosses. Plus add in Rifts, Invasions and many zone wide world events and you have all you can ask for PVE. Updates and content come often.
Score: 8.0