Lacks the bite, the edge to really stand out.

All right, let me get this out of the way early. In my opinion, the promise of massive online games is massively false. I jumped on the bandwagon early, suckering up my 9.95 a month to Origin to be part of the launch of Ultima Online. What did I get for it? Well, I got a little more from it than I did from some fly-by-night company that put 20 bucks worth of charges on my credit card a month because they needed the money. Ultima Online was just a bunch of louses getting together and pretending they were playing a game. Yes, I did well in the game, and no, I am not jaded because I couldn't advance. I just thought the graphics were feeble, the engine even more pathetic, and the online community a pack of thieves. Other than that, I had a great time. But, alas, this is not a review of Ultima Online, nor is it a forum for me to complain about every little thing that bothers me. It's about Asheron's Call, and I guess we should be getting back to it.

Even though the myth of a virtual community is just that, things have certainly come a long way since the days of Ultima Online. EverQuest basically turned the online RPG world on its pointy, Elven ear. EverQuest offered a different level of play, and had decent graphics to go along with it. One of the best features of EverQuest is the connection setup. Few online games achieve such a seamless server setup. There were some serious lag problems, but that is to be expected in this genre. Now we have Asheron's Call, Microsoft's foray into the field.

The question that keeps entering my mind while playing this game is, why in the Hell do companies stick with something that they know doesn't work? Many companies do this. Sierra did it with their obtrusive Sierra Utilities that they so kindly put on your Start Menu; Interplay did it with the Build Engine and Redneck Rampage series. Now, Microsoft is doing it with the MSN Gaming Zone.

Let's get something perfectly clear. MSN itself failed. The MSN portal site gets plenty of hits, but is still annoying. The Gaming Zone, Microsoft's attempt at garnering all of the online players in the world, sucks. It lags more than my 2-pack a day uncle in the last stretch of a 600-meter dash. It hangs up and requires a ridiculous amount of patches and enablers to work properly. Despite its suckiness, Microsoft has let it taint Links LS, and now it is letting it destroy Asheron's Call. Links LS doesn't need multiplayer to survive. I think Asheron's Call might just rely heavily on a smooth server. So, what does it get? The Stinking, Lethargic, Pile o' Crap Gaming Zone. You figure it out; I have tires to rotate.

Okay, so Asheron's Call gets off on the wrong foot. Its backbone is broken. Can it still succeed? Well, this is America, and the best quality product does not always become the best selling product. It's usually the other way around. Besides that, Microsoft is behind this one, and if they have to offer gamers a new car if they sign on to Asheron's Call, they'll do it. (Note to Gates: I've been eyeing that new BMW 3-Series). So, it's safe to say that the game will succeed. Now, the question is, is it worth giving a shot?

The question is not easily answered. Though the graphics aren't the best, the menu interface in Asheron's Call puts it above the other games in this genre. Thankfully, this game doesn't punish you with confusing controls before you even start the game. Actually, getting equipped and ready to hack the legs of the first baddie you see isn't that hard. You'll be spraying monster blood in minutes. Also, the skill and attribute setup is a snap as well, and veterans from other RPGs will quickly feel at home here. The experience setup is equally as simple and familiar, so the game, from a design standpoint, is actually rather solid.

The experience points can get pretty confusing, so confusing that I won't go through a list of the differences between unassigned experience points, general experience points, skill points, fellowship points, and just about any other sort of point you can think of. Let's just say there's a lot of them, and there is even a multi-level marketing campaign where you can earn points off the points of others for doing absolutely nothing. With that aside, the design of the game is very good. I expected better graphics, but then again, I always expect too much.

Fighting in Asheron's Call is a bit disappointing. It's in real time, which in my opinion is a bad choice for an RPG, but the only choice for an online game, and because it is in real time, it really ain't that much fun. It is basically just a hack and slash exercise, until you get into spellcasting, where things get heated up a little bit. Without the magic, the game plays like a bad Diablo clone; with it, there is an extra level of excitement that makes it play like a decent Diablo clone.

This game certainly feels dumbed down for the masses compared to EverQuest. Microsoft certainly isn't looking to attract hardcore online gamers with this one. Instead, they tried to create a game that appeals to everyone. You know what they say about trying to please everyone.

I've been playing Asheron's Call for about forty hours now. Even though the game doesn't really stand out in one area, it's easy to navigate, and most of the people playing the game are friendly and willing to help. The reason for this seems to be the fellowships, where you can join together with a band of friends and help each other earn points and levels. That's the best part of the game, the fellowships. They are pretty much unique to Asheron's Call, and basically the games' only saving grace.

Basically, what we have here is a game that could have been great, but instead is weighted down by the lofty goals of its publisher. Microsoft is used to doing everything big. They want to control web browsers, operating systems, gaming hardware, sports sims, strategy sims, and now online RPGs. In their valiant efforts at such, they overlooked one thing, content. Most of their successes (Age of Empires, NFL Fever) came from games that had a solid footing and addictive gameplay. Age of Empires and its sequel are more addictive than crack. This game lacks that feeling. On top of that, in order to play the game, you have to become part of the Evil Empires online gaming community, and I, for one, do not care for that. Neither do a lot of other people, from what I have heard.

Reviewed by John Misak.