You've read reviews about this game, and most say it sucks. But here me out, the others are lies.
First off, most reviews about this game are about the single player aspect. I will quote the official review of this game from this site: "The simplistic melee combat system combined with weak enemy artificial intelligence makes Rune an ultimately shallow and repetitious experience."
He is telling the truth, but that is only because he played the single player mode and never looked back. Multiplayer in this game is where all the REAL action is, and I will be happy to elaborate. Basically, when you compare the single player mode of this game to what you will experience against other players online, it's like playing a first person shooter with only stationary targets to shoot. The single player lacks substance, but has a good storyline. Reviews will tell you the combat is simplistic and repetative, this is because they only fought against the "weak enemy artificial intelligence". This lacks everything.
Now go on multiplayer and join a populated server. What you will see with your untrained eyes will look like complete chaos. Critics never played this game online long enough to grasp how sophisticated the combat can really be. I'm not going to lie, when you first play against real human intelligence in multiplayer, you will have your ass handed to you. And it will be like that for the first few months you play. So if you don't like to be challenged, and you don't enjoy a unique experience, than this game is not for you. But if you like to be challenged, and you would enjoy a unique experience, then this game will be the experience of a lifetime for you!
I can tell you right now, there are scores of games out there that have tried to accomplish what this game has already done. This game is one of a kind and will provide you with a truely unique experience if you don't completely shut out everything that it will offer.
As I mentioned earlier, this game has been out for a little over a decade. There is almost nobody who knows about this game. The result is that it has a very small online community. This online community is very tight knit. You may want to ask yourself, "Why would anyone want to play a ten year old game?" The fact is, most of what remains of this game's online community are die hard fanatics of this game. They understand everything that the critics of this game never mentioned, or even acknowledged. You may also want to ask yourself, "Why would I want to play a game in online multiplayer that almost nobody plays?" Rune still does have plenty of regular players, but that number pales in comparison to any average multiplayer game you would see today.
Being ten years old, this game requires very minimal system requirements. If you are running your system on windows 98 or xp, you will have no problems running this game on your computer. I must warn you though, if you are running your system on windows 7 or windows vista, this game will NOT run properly on your computer. There are several variations of this game for different versions of Linux and a version for Mac.
Remember, reviews about this game that only mention the single player's scenery, or the horrible artificial intelligence of the monsters, or the simple and repetitive combat style do not grasp the full capabilities of this game. That all has nothing to do with what I am talking about. To understand what I am saying you would have to experience it for yourself. Multiplayer combat in Rune has a very wide learning curve. The combat looks simple at a glance, but when you get the chance to see a group of real veteran players in action against eachother, you will rethink everything you know about video games. The combat in this game is difficult to master. You will not be a first rate player within the first day you play online against other people. Not even within the first month. That's what makes this game so sustainable and that is why people still play it.
Multiplayer Gameplay-Learning how to perform a combo or an attack in Rune is one thing. Knowing how an attack works in player vs. player combat is an entirely different concept. One of the reviews about Rune that I read on this site mentions Tony Hawk Pro Skater. The reviewer says it required alot of maneuvering to perform certain tricks in the game properly. This game in player vs. player combat requires much more maneuvering than any Tony Hawk game. Learning how to move around in and evade attacks in Rune is just as important, if not more, than learning how to attack. In fact without maneuvering properly you can't perform effective attacks. If you want to see the kind of maneuvering this game takes, watch my youtube video.
Here is the link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4703hh0pc
The youtube video is best viewed in the 480p option. Btw, I apolagize for the blurryness, I didn't exactly use high-end video editiing software.
Now, for those of you who beared with me and actually read the entire review, I can help you have the experience I speak of, but that is only if you are interested. It won't be hard at all. Just visit my clansite forums and post a thread. Ask me how you would get this game. I will be happy to answer any questions you have.
Here is the link: http://www.wolfhorderune.proboards.com/
You may have to register.
Oh. And I checked out the critics scores. Look at this...
Next Generation ** 3 / 5 Jan 1, 1980
Computer Gaming World ** 2 / 5 Jan 1, 1980
PC Gamer ** 67 / 100 Jan 1, 1980
Computer Games Mag ** 2.5 / 5 Jan 1, 1999
PC Gamer UK ** 67 / 100 Jan 1, 1980
1980??? People, this game was released in 2000. You cannot rate a game 20 years before it was released. How credible do you think this site really is?