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There are many games online, we all know this. From cutting edge to the old and faithful, there is something for everyone. Wizard101 fits a niche that there seems to be a lack of, and that is family friendly MMO's.
W101 is a game with a wizarding school theme. Not to name any names, but our favorite prodigal wizard and his friends would feel right at home here at Ravenwood.
Wizard101 has some fantastic features to it, mainly the security and privacy settings so that parents can control when and how their children play.I know that many games now offer this feature, but many of those games are not as friendly or easy to interface with as W101. The login is simple, character creation is actually fun and would be easy for younger gamers to grasp.
As you walk through the first few quests, you encounter the very cool combat system that is a hybrid of a collectible card game and a Final Fantasy type game. Your spells that you cast while in combat are governed by the different types of creature and spell cards that you carry in your spell deck. These cards are obtained as loot, through quests, and by trainers of the specific Wizardry school you decide to focus on. You have mana to power your spells ,and health to keep you up and questing.
You generate power points every round as well, which means the most powerful spells can't be cast right off the bat, though if they are of your chosen school, they cast for one point cheaper, and so on. CCG enthusiasts will eat this up, as there are recognizable combos even at low levels
and spells are made to work with each other
.
The questing was good, though as an adult I found it very simple, a younger player would have a blast. The first 6 levels so far have been "getting to know the game" and "kill this monster" quests, and I am sure that upon higher levels, you will see more intricate quest strings. The game has a very cool home teleport, so you can quickly go turn in those quests that took you far from home.
The concept is great, with a rich back story that you learn as you level, and the graphics and layout are really fantastic. It reminds me a bit of Kingdom Hearts in a way that I can't put my finger on, but that is not entirely a bad thing.
Graphics were cartoony, and I am sure even low end hardware can run this game to it's peak performance, which means more users get to experience the game at it's fullest potential, which is also a nice feature.
All in all this game hits many targets. It is family friendly, easy to learn, the combat system and collectible card aspect would keep a grizzled gamer interested (at least for awhile) and the story and graphics are entertaining and lighthearted. Even the bad guys aren't all that scary, and I would love to see this game be the first MMO for many young online gamers.
Now, I read that they plan to go pay to play with this title, and though I think the price at $10.00 a month would be fair, they should introduce a family package or some sort of incentive buy, as the game is good, but unless you are a target age group or have children, this won't attract the hardcore gamers for more than a couple of hours on a whimsy. I hope Kingsisle gives some thought to this, as they have potential in this title, and I wish them the best of luck.
I have included some screenshots in my photo gallery, so you all can check it out, I recommend you give the beta a shot, keys are available here on MMOsite. It might be a nice break from the serious grind and loot that we all go through.
So, the Pros:
The official website is https://www.wizard101.com/.
W101 is a game with a wizarding school theme. Not to name any names, but our favorite prodigal wizard and his friends would feel right at home here at Ravenwood.
Wizard101 has some fantastic features to it, mainly the security and privacy settings so that parents can control when and how their children play.I know that many games now offer this feature, but many of those games are not as friendly or easy to interface with as W101. The login is simple, character creation is actually fun and would be easy for younger gamers to grasp.
As you walk through the first few quests, you encounter the very cool combat system that is a hybrid of a collectible card game and a Final Fantasy type game. Your spells that you cast while in combat are governed by the different types of creature and spell cards that you carry in your spell deck. These cards are obtained as loot, through quests, and by trainers of the specific Wizardry school you decide to focus on. You have mana to power your spells ,and health to keep you up and questing.
You generate power points every round as well, which means the most powerful spells can't be cast right off the bat, though if they are of your chosen school, they cast for one point cheaper, and so on. CCG enthusiasts will eat this up, as there are recognizable combos even at low levels
and spells are made to work with each other
.
The questing was good, though as an adult I found it very simple, a younger player would have a blast. The first 6 levels so far have been "getting to know the game" and "kill this monster" quests, and I am sure that upon higher levels, you will see more intricate quest strings. The game has a very cool home teleport, so you can quickly go turn in those quests that took you far from home.
The concept is great, with a rich back story that you learn as you level, and the graphics and layout are really fantastic. It reminds me a bit of Kingdom Hearts in a way that I can't put my finger on, but that is not entirely a bad thing.
Graphics were cartoony, and I am sure even low end hardware can run this game to it's peak performance, which means more users get to experience the game at it's fullest potential, which is also a nice feature.
All in all this game hits many targets. It is family friendly, easy to learn, the combat system and collectible card aspect would keep a grizzled gamer interested (at least for awhile) and the story and graphics are entertaining and lighthearted. Even the bad guys aren't all that scary, and I would love to see this game be the first MMO for many young online gamers.
Now, I read that they plan to go pay to play with this title, and though I think the price at $10.00 a month would be fair, they should introduce a family package or some sort of incentive buy, as the game is good, but unless you are a target age group or have children, this won't attract the hardcore gamers for more than a couple of hours on a whimsy. I hope Kingsisle gives some thought to this, as they have potential in this title, and I wish them the best of luck.
I have included some screenshots in my photo gallery, so you all can check it out, I recommend you give the beta a shot, keys are available here on MMOsite. It might be a nice break from the serious grind and loot that we all go through.
So, the Pros:
- Great family game, with a very cool wizardry school theme, fantastic security settings, and playability for all ages.
- Good graphics, a solid storyline and a unique combat system
- a built in CCG, who doesn't like that?
- This game is a bit cartoony, and made for a younger audience. Questing and combat will be a breeze for most established gamers
- The text banners at some points are huge, and obscure the screen around them. I hope this is changed
- The combat system is solid, but younger players might need help understanding it.
The official website is https://www.wizard101.com/.
Ariticle url: http://my.mmosite.com/blog/8ccdbf4667a2bd819a9781a54f02ee7e/blog/item/684e413c037139959f8d979e7358fe26.html