Gamespot Score:n/a
My Score:7.7
(+)Pros: - Sexy graphics, - Brilliant character design combined with good customization options, - GREAT skill based gameplay, - Bosses look powerful and menacing, some even provide a good challenge, - Nice variety of skills between the classes and split paths after a certain level make it even more varied, - Some instances provide a good changes of pace by providing objectives.
(-)Cons: - Completely instance based, so its a little repetitive, - A good first 30 levels of the game are sooo easy that it gets boring, - Not enough variety in missions.
Gameplay time:-
*Note:Review of the game was about it BEFORE the Reaperess patch*
I admit it, I have been wanting to play C9 in a LONG LONG time. Since it was released in Korea back in like 2008 or something, I have already been anticipating an English release! I waited and waited and waited, and somewhere along the line I slowly lost interest. Years later I completely forgot about it, until a new friend of mine told me about this awesome new MMO coming out. Lo and behold, its f**king "Continent Of The Ninth". After the long wait, I started to gain an interest again, and IMMEDIATELY jumped into the game during the first day of the open beta. So, how was it?
Lets be honest here, every MMORPG has its own story, but most people don't give a flying f**k about them, because the game itself doesn't really try very hard to portray or indulge us into its story. C9 is one of the few MMORPGs that actually made an effort to show us what it had to offer in its story, most of it through cut scenes. However, like "Aion online", it isn't too memorable. There is effort, and you can see it, its just that its not memorable. This time you play as a freeloading warrior of a village, and get chosen to become one of its guardians. It leads to some people dieing later on, so there is some emotional impact.
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| Okay. |
C9 is a different type of MMO. I'll say this first, the graphics are bloody awesome. For a free MMORPG, you cannot deny that C9 provides some of the best graphics in the market. Slick environmental visuals and great character models make for a very very sexy game in the highest graphic settings. Everything looks beautiful if you run the game at its maximum. The character designs for its different classes (4 when I started out, currently there is 5 with the addition of the Reaperess) are downright amazing. While the customization options aren't the best out there, its sufficient to have us fondling around trying to create an ideal character for more than 30 minutes.
The play style for C9 is different from other MMORPGs. Its been a trend lately, C9 is what you call an action MMO, with other competitors like "TERA online" and the colossal monster that is "Guild Wars 2". An action MMO is a skill based game where combat is not based of clicking a monster and watching an animation of your character hitting that monster. This is where you click your mouse and your character swings ONCE, and clicking it many times forms a combo string. You can dodge enemy attacks, enemies can dodge your attacks. Its a different experience, that's for sure, and I'm sure C9 did a good job for this system.
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| Reported for being too sexy. |
Witchblades are sexy, because I main a Witchblade :). I say this because each class, fights in its own different way, and this is obvious. Throughout the game you will be entering instances and fighting it out, its a wise idea to play a class that fits your role. While the combat is great, what really pushes me to play these instances, are the well designed bosses. Most of the bosses look MENACING, even some of the earlier ones. They look great and of course, since this is a skill based game, you can dodge them like you do in action games. Some of these bosses are TOUGH, and can kill you in 2 hits or something. Later bosses of higher difficulty dungeons even have you battling multiple bosses at once, or a single boss with multiple health bars.
I can say the same to the classes. Since each class fights differently, you can expect varied gameplay for each class. But, since this game has split branches for every class as they reach the higher levels....this makes things even better. Each class can split into 2 or 3 different job advancements, and these get even MORE unique skills, making characters of similar class be different from each other. Another thing that C9 tries to do give us players a nice change of pace, is varying the dungeon type variety. Instead of just going into an instance, killing every monster and the boss, you get different objectives like protect an objective, escorting an NPC or solving puzzles of some kind.
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| Finally. |
Now, time for the flaws, every game has them. First things first, while I do enjoy he action based gameplay, the entire game is based of instances. That is repetitive, no matter how you look at it. I always found roaming and exploring to be a necessity in MMOs, make everything instance based, and you remove the possibility of exploration. The game is also too easy for the beginning 30 levels. Out of 30 quests, there is only about 1 to give you a LITTLE bit of trouble. Yes the first 30 levels are too easy, and don't tell me otherwise. Another thing is the lack of mission variety. As I said, while they do give objectives for certain missions, its not enough, and just plainly running through instances IS boring.
After a long wait, the game is finally over. I waited 4 years for this game, but stopped it at about a month or so. The irony. The game is pretty good for a free MMO, and the only thing really preventing me from continuing to play this game, is the repetitive nature of just running instances over and over. Its just not my style. I got to the early 40s, but that's not saying much, there are MMOs that drive me into 70s, 80s and even over a 100 (Cabal Online is the only MMO that got me to play until level 127). Overall, if you want a good distraction, C9 can keep you occupied for what its worth.
Happy gaming!
