Vanguard: Saga of Heroes relies heavily on its sheer size to attract players. Gamers may even get lost in some of the beginning towns, since they're often spread far apart.

This game also supports three major nations, each with numerous subset races, and fifteen distinct character classes.

Geographically, this fantasy massively multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing game has it all, including wide rolling hills, towering mountains and a practically endless ocean. Of course, danger lurks around every corner, so players must take care when exploring it. It would take months to put the "If you can see it, you can get there (via walking, riding, sailing or flying)" tag line to the test, but it seems to hold true. The promise that players would encounter practically no load screens while traversing the world also holds up. Created by the same minds behind EverQuest, Vanguard represents a new generation in MMO games in just about every respect.

Of course, there are a few pitfalls. First and foremost comes from the fact that players, spread out over so many different races and servers, can be a little hard to come by. Even though Vanguard provides excellent tools for players to connect, getting a party together to tackle more complex missions (and thereby earn bigger bonuses) can be a little tough. Too bad, since getting a balanced party together can lead to some great combat combinations. Luckily, the game provides plenty of solo content and different ways to play. The most prominent mode Diplomacy, forces players to take part in a card game where two people verbally duel things out for the most points in a conversation. Diplomacy allows players to dedicate themselves to being Politicians, where they gain levels by having a deck of strong responses and using them strategically (putting less emphasis on swords and spells). Through politics, players influence entire towns, a key feature for more advanced quests.

Clothes make the hero, and players literally end up wearing many hats. Every character mode (adventuring, diplomacy, crafting and harvesting resources) requires its own specific wardrobe, which automatically switches when the player performs a related action. If some players thought it was a little rough trying to earn new armor set or weapon in other games, multiply it four times over for Vanguard, because nothing progresses without the right skills, levels and fashion. So, even with so many different modes, everything still comes down to running out into the world and killing things to make money and support the secondary professions. Taking into consideration Vanguard's robust combat system, where moves can be chained together, along with a long list of spells and abilities, standard adventuring still remains a very good option.

Above all, players will want to reach level 10 and purchase their first mount, because getting around this gigantic world quickly gets tedious. Getting from town to town (even to relatively nearby ones) can be an ordeal.

Powered by the Unreal 3 engine, grass beautifully blows in open fields and trees tower up into the sky, but it can still get stale. Not to mention, the heavy graphics, even when turned down a notch or two, can still strain mid-range computers, although graphics modestly outpace games like EverQuest II.

Unfortunately, occasional hiccups led to death, especially when someone accidentally auto-runs into groups of aggressive foes. Furthermore, although town layouts and architecture look great and compliment the different races nicely, getting from one place to the next can get rough. Too often, key NPCs (non-player characters) end up located in some remote hut on top of a mountain, surrounded by a fence, with only one bridge leading to it. At times, they might be on the other side of a wall, or at the bottom of a cliff, so players must run all the way around town just to talk to someone. Also, stores tend to be spread out and oddly placed. For example, one would think that a person selling crafting materials would always be located near the crafting machines of every town. Unfortunately, this kind of logic doesn't always apply, creating huge amounts of down time and frustration when one runs out of key ingredients while crafting.

The minimap usually does a good job highlighting key people or places for different quests, but it doesn't always work, and can sometimes be inaccurate. Some quests inexplicably disappear or get resolved, like one that was completed by simply logging out for a while, or another that was somehow solved when the hero died en route.

It should be said that Vanguard can't be easily picked up and played. Those new to the MMO scene might be a tad overwhelmed by all of the different modes and the "Get out there and do something... anything!" kind of game play. Those who cut their teeth on World of Warcraft's action may be put off by the slower pacing and the less forgiving death penalty. Every mode, from adventuring to crafting, makes up a kind of game in itself, but they all require time and patience to bring together. Crafters need to go out to harvest resources, which entail some adventuring, etc.

That said, people willing to put in the effort will certainly be rewarded, since each level in every mode feels like a major accomplishment. Vanguard, with vast opportunities and size, requires time to grow on players. Patient gamers who enjoy tons of options will find many riches and glory here.


Final Score: 7 (out of 10).


Article Source: GameDaily.com