Once in a while, I check out who holds the #1 Ranking spot on TMC Top Ten. As of this morning, when I checked the site, Dark Risings was #1, so I said 'What the heck, I'll give it a go.'
Upon FINALLY connecting, after three or four times of being rejected and finding nothing wrong with my OWN connection to the 'Net, I'm asked to create a character. Alright, no biggie. I created my character with ease, pretty much, and logged in.
Now, I have a pretty high definition of what should be 'Number One' in my book, and I must say that nothing about this game was above anything but average. After running through the 'school' for training and basic equipment, I sat and watched for a while. For a RP-based game, I found it quite fishy that they have an 'IC' Channel. Right, because where you can't find television and dress in cloaks and leather breeches and pay in gold and silver pieces, every character is still connected to eachother.
The conversation on this channel went something like this:
Player 1: I say, jolly old chap. Does anybody want to meet up and slaughter frogs in the swamp?
Player 2: I'd like to come too, friend.
Player 1: The more merrier, I say.
Player 1: The more the merrier, I say.
Player 2: Where shall we meet?
And then, there was silence. I wandered about and killed frogs and lizards and boars and foxes, and then did a look over my equipment. Generic, nothing special. I still can't shake the fact that my weapon was 'a file sharpened on a river rock', and you still can't find television or cellular phones, yet everyone's connected on the 'IC' channel. To me, that's not very in character at all.
Although I didn't see anything going on with abusive staff, I've read the reviews here already, and I don't see the sense in having this game as #1, except for the fact that on the startup screen AND the logout screen, they're practically BEGGING for you to vote for them. My guess? Players looking for something special and exploring finally got tired of seeing the begging and pleading of the Dark Rising's staff, and voted, hopefully thinking this will make them shut up about the whole thing.
Ten thumbs down.
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