Two Words, One Answer.
Shadowbane
 Shadowbane: The Rise of Chaos Expansion Pack $9.99 it WAS a great game, server have been shut down.....sorry you will be wasting every cent you pay  Shadowbane: Throne of Oblivion Expansion Pack $19.99 To be totally honest, I purchased this game only because I found it for a dollar at EB Games. When Ubi announced the game was free(free to d/l AND no monthly fee!!), I decided it was time to give it a shot. First off, the patcher not only patched the core files, but also downloaded and installed BOTH expansion packs! FREE! I was VERY skeptical as it looks like merely another EQ ripoff. My first impression of the game was the incredible character creation system. Amazing! As I got into the gameplay for the first time, I was quite disturbed by it ... it's a very new interface for a hardcore FPS and FPRPG player. Alas, after one day, I had my second characted up to Level 15 with over $700000gp. As you get into the game and learn how it works, it's incredible. I'm not a big fan of PvP, but that's only because I get wiped all over the screen. Technically though, you can avoid PvP for a loooong time. Build up your character, then go kill everyone :D. Then start a city with your guild, and wage war on opposing cities. I've never seen a blend of RTS and RPG (let along MMORPG) like this before. The only problem I have with it is the graphics. Alas, seeing as how I'm using a sub-par computer system, it's probably for the best. People talk of massive lag when many players are on your screen - just change your graphics options. The requirements for the latest expansions are actually over a ghz cpu, but I use a PIII 500, 512mb RAM, and a 128mb GeForce4 MX video card, and I have no problems running the game at 1024x768 with high details on (the particle effects rape my cpu - so I disabled them .. as well - my particular card doesn't support Normal Mapping, so that was disabled by default) If you're looking for a unique gaming experience, very in-depth and very social (servers are never empty), then you should give this a shot. And don't forget - it's FREE!!! Completely FREE!!! Just cruise over to the shadowbane site and download the "trial version", once installed, you'll notice that it is in fact the full version. Only problem is that since Wolfpack studios is shutting it's doors, there are rumors of SB being shut down around May 15th '06. Only one way to find out!  Shadowbane Official Strategy Guide $9.99 I bought the First Edition of this book not too long after I started playing Shadowbane, and back then it was a handy reference, even thought it had a lot of mistakes and omissions. I was pleased to see that they'd finally released an updated edition, but it is not even close to current. It doesn't have any mention of the Rise of Chaos expansion pack that has been out for quite some time, and is about to go even further out of date with the upcoming release of the "Throne of Oblivion" expansion pack. To be honest, you'll find just as much information with at least the same level of timeliness and accuracy for free online. And if you are playing the game, and not sure how to develop a good character, don't be afraid to ask for advice from higher level players in your race/class/discipline. |
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