Rift at bestonlinerpggames.com

Rift Review

Rift is a 3D MMORPG video game that you can play online. You need to download 10GB worth of the game data first before you can play it. You also have to download all of the update patches that go along with it before you can launch it. The first thing you will notice right away while playing Rift are the high production values. There is an opening CG cutscene that explains the backstory to the game. It is full of action and is animated very well. It’s quite lengthy too and entertaining. This is cool because not many free to play video games have CGI cutscenes added to them due to budgetary reasons.

After watching the cutscene, the character customization screens begin. First up, you have to choose the faction you want to be a part of. The two factions available include the Guardians and Defiants. From there, you choose the race you want to play as. There are three races available in Rift. This includes the Eth, Kelari and Bahami. The Eth and Bahami both look like humans, although the latter are more primitive in appearance. As for the Kelari, they are the elves of this game. The cool thing about this game is the amount of character customization that you can do. You are free to choose either a male or female and alter their appearance. You can even change the amount of armor that they’re wearing too. If you want to see a lot of skin, you can do that.

Once that is done, you choose the class types. There are four main class types and they are: Warrior, Cleric, Mage and a Rogue. Some of these class types you may have encountered in other MMORPGs. When you make your decision, the game starts to begin finally. The story of Rift is a little cliché, but it’s great to see some effort has been made as not many free to play video games have a good narrative. Basically, Rifts have opened up in this world and lots of deadly monsters are coming and killing everyone.

To fight back, the citizens have created the perfect warrior to help the survivors that are left in this world to get rid of the monsters coming through the rifts. That perfect warrior is the player themselves. You are the chosen one that will save the world. Normally when the introductory cutscene ends, you start with a tutorial telling you the controls. I was shocked that Rift does not tell you the controls once you start playing. It took me quite a long time to know how to start a conversation with characters in this game. It turns out you have to right click to talk to people instead of left clicking.

Another annoying thing about Rift is that there is no waypoint. To know where you have to go to next, you have to see on the mini-map on the top right hand corner of the screen. I do say mini-map as it’s tiny. It would have been better if a waypoint was projected on the screen instead. The combat in Rift also feels stiff and awkward. Your character movements are also rigid and isn’t smooth like in other MMORPGs I have played in the past. The combat is the usual clicking on an enemy and your character will start hacking routine. The combat is uninspired because your character just stands in one position when they fight. I always prefer an active combat system where your character can do combos and move more freely. It’s also worth mentioning standard attacks are pretty weak. This game forces you to dish out your special techniques early on.

While Rift falls down on gameplay, it excels in the presentation department. The game feels more like a retail game than one that is free to play. The music is immaculate and there are full voice overs and commendable graphics. Seriously, Rift is one of the few free to play video games I have played all year that has high production values. The game is a joy to watch, but sadly the gameplay is where it shows its biggest weaknesses.

Final Verdict for Rift