Sep
7
Tabula Rasa NDA lifted
The NDA is lifted and now my “non-press” lips can start flapping 
A couple of warnings though. First, I only played this game for about 2-5 hours in total and my character only got up to about level 9…so this is not even close to a review/preview level that you are use to from this site. If you want a really good preview, please go see Tobold, or Keen and Graev on that front. So, this will fall into the “first impressions/newbie” side of the coin, which is important, but not thorough. OK, now that we understand each other…here we go.
I won’t be getting this game. Reason why is because I know exactly how this game will pan out for me. It’ll pan out exactly like CoH did. Its fun in a very action based kind of way. You get to shoot things with a gun, which is always cool, however; I get the impression (emphasis on “impression”) that this game is only about action and nothing else. I had a blast in CoH up to about level 35…and then things started getting a bit on the boring side. Keen and Graev saw this to say about it and it matches my feeling after playing it for a weekend:
Personally these reviews scare me. You have one person who enjoys the game because it?s fast pace but is clearly someone who is all about ?fluff?. The other two impressions are extremely negative and show a scary future for gameplay mechanics and overall feel. From reading several dozen posts this morning I get the feel that Tabula Rasa plays much like City of Heroes and offers little to no depth.
“But Darren….the MOG guys absolutely love it” Of course they do. This is meant as a put down to them, but they are mostly console players at this point, and this game will appeal to people who like constant action. Gary and Ryan represent the player who is tired of the same old same old MMO (…as some of us are…), but watch when these players get to the mid-game of TR, that?s when the shine will fall off. At least, that is the prediction I and others have at this point and I would love to be wrong about it. Come midgame, my prediction is that MOG will not stick with it. Of course, when the midgame does come, other more attractive MMOs will probably be out there.
Everything about the game is solid, from character creation, to sound to graphics…nothing really wrong in any of those areas that I noticed. The game definitely makes you feel as if you’re in a war zone with aliens teleporting in all around you. You get a sense that you’re in the thick of it and that will be the appeal of this game…it’s immersion of the player into the world. You’ll find the quests also facilitate this immersion with their backstories.
As a new player, the world did grab me…so no issues there. I just don’t think this is a game that will make me want to stay. It seems more like a desert than the main course, and I’m at a point right now where I want a big steak dinner.
D out.
