Well, here it is, the last page of the feature, the full review. I don't think I really need to introduce the game (I've been doing that over the last 6 pages) so let's just get to the review.

Starting with the bad (let's face it, that's why people read reviews) my most major problem with the game is the performance. It doesn't even seem to matter what settings I have, turning down the microvegetation or draw distance doesn't at all seem to help, and I always get between 10-15 frames per second. Half-Life 2 runs at 40-75 on this computer with everything maxed. Now, this might just be one particular setting that I haven't encountered yet, but the game seems to run pretty badly (although to be fair, it IS an MMORPG and it doesn't really matter. You dont NEED to have every frame like you do with the average shooter).

Another problem is that.. I haven't really come across any very interesting quests. I hear the game picks up once you get further, so I'll give it the benifit of the doubt, but having been in the World of Warcraft betas I can tell you that randomly generated fetch quests isn't that engaging

Also, there's no print screen key. I had to use FRAPS. This isn't something that's going to affect what I really think about the game but it made making this feature a little annoying.

Now that that's over with, here's what I like (and what I like, I really like). For one, the game's environments are extremly well designed (in some places gorgeous) and really give you a sense of being on this living world of Atys. The microvegetation really helps this. There's just so much life to the world -swaying grass, tree seeds falling from above, insects and small rodents scurrying on the ground, it all comes together to make a beautiful world

I'm also very impressed with the mind-bogglingly deep systems this game has- the Stanza system and the Craft systems in particular. The ability system allows you to not just pick which abilities you learn and use, but allows you to create your own! I'm not sure that such a system exists in any other RPG ever- and it's a really engaging persuit. As for the crafting system, a lot of games just give you a list of ingredients and a button that says "make" but this one requires you to pick and choose what you use to make the items. You can substitute one component for another and see what it makes. Just exploring all the possibilities for basic shoes is daunting!

The game also has actual monster ecosystems. Various monsters have their own methods of behavior- flocks move together, and larger members of a flock defend the smaller ones, preditors prey on other animals, and more makes it feel less like you're hunting spawned monsters.

My verdict? Well, I'm not you, so my view of the game would be different than yours. My best opinion would be to go for the 14 day free trial and see for yourself. But in my opinion, Ryzom does have what it takes to compete with other modern MMORPGs. There are a lot of great new systems in the game which I've never seen before (and aren't even in new games like Everquest 2 or World of Warcraft) and if you have the patience to keep playing after getting mauled by Kitin on the starter island or learn how to craft the best pair of pants, this game might be for you.

My score? Let's give it 7.5 out of ten. Not exceptional, but definately unique. Go to my Saga of Ryzom Diary part 1....
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