So, who else tried it?
I was very impressed for a F2P game. Lovely combat system, and as always stellar performance out of the Source engine.
It's not really a Beta as it's been out in the US/Japan for some time but I was pleased to see all the refinements that came with that time were in the beta build. A very polished UI and solid core game mechanics.
The skill system is nice and easy to use and the Title system(Somewhat like achievements) grant persistent stat bonuses and encourage obtaining them.
I like the way Battles work in that you are required to get enough Battle points as a pre-requisite for higher Battles and the additional modifiers/mutations you can use increase the Battle Point gain for a run.
Combat is simple but satisfying and promotes thought. In short left clicks are for fast attacks and right clicks are for smash attacks. The latter spending more stamina, leaving you more vulnerable but dealing more damage. Combos are achieved by performing X number of Left Click attacks followed by Y number of Right click ones. It's somewhat hack and slash but if you get hit while pulling off combos you are interrupted, being hurt and/or dead. Dead is a very big possibility if you choose to finish off that combo in the face of a 50ft blade being swung by a boss. It was probably more wise to dodge/block!
You have dodge, which allows you to roll, evade and in the case of Fiona (Tank class which I played) Block with shield. Fiona has some unique shield based play combos. Shield at exactly the right time (Right before an attack) and you can Right click afterwards and perform a devastating Counter-attack for big damage and high knock-down chance.
Hold shield up too early however and no Counter-attack option is available and you will lose significantly more stamina when blocking a hit.
The crafting system is easy to use and actually grants useful items you can equip. It's refreshing to see this as all too often crafts are weak in power until endgame crafts can be made, at which point the gear is not as useful as the looted stuff.
Speaking of loot, not so much of it in Vindictus - not as a traditional system anyway. Very few usable items drop in raw form. Most loot is materials used in crafting and quest items. This is likely a reason why the craft system is so refined - It's your primary source of gear.
Quests are very verbose and rich in text so if reading storyline is your game there is plenty of it. Those of us not so inclined can spam space though!
On the whole it's no WoW and it's certainly not a fully engrossing MMO. Battle instances are hosted on a team members PC and not a central server for example. I have also not been able to experience open world play. The extent of the Beta I saw was staged in a small Town from which you launch boats into battles. It is, however, F2P and I can see myself picking it up because it is properly good fun.
I took a gameplay video of my Lvl 25-26 Fiona in Northen Pike heavy gear with a hammer before the beta closed down. Would recommend 720/1080p on YouTube itself as it's a 1920x1200 recording. Original Res is available also if you run 1920x1200 also
I was very impressed for a F2P game. Lovely combat system, and as always stellar performance out of the Source engine.
It's not really a Beta as it's been out in the US/Japan for some time but I was pleased to see all the refinements that came with that time were in the beta build. A very polished UI and solid core game mechanics.
The skill system is nice and easy to use and the Title system(Somewhat like achievements) grant persistent stat bonuses and encourage obtaining them.
I like the way Battles work in that you are required to get enough Battle points as a pre-requisite for higher Battles and the additional modifiers/mutations you can use increase the Battle Point gain for a run.
Combat is simple but satisfying and promotes thought. In short left clicks are for fast attacks and right clicks are for smash attacks. The latter spending more stamina, leaving you more vulnerable but dealing more damage. Combos are achieved by performing X number of Left Click attacks followed by Y number of Right click ones. It's somewhat hack and slash but if you get hit while pulling off combos you are interrupted, being hurt and/or dead. Dead is a very big possibility if you choose to finish off that combo in the face of a 50ft blade being swung by a boss. It was probably more wise to dodge/block!
You have dodge, which allows you to roll, evade and in the case of Fiona (Tank class which I played) Block with shield. Fiona has some unique shield based play combos. Shield at exactly the right time (Right before an attack) and you can Right click afterwards and perform a devastating Counter-attack for big damage and high knock-down chance.
Hold shield up too early however and no Counter-attack option is available and you will lose significantly more stamina when blocking a hit.
The crafting system is easy to use and actually grants useful items you can equip. It's refreshing to see this as all too often crafts are weak in power until endgame crafts can be made, at which point the gear is not as useful as the looted stuff.
Speaking of loot, not so much of it in Vindictus - not as a traditional system anyway. Very few usable items drop in raw form. Most loot is materials used in crafting and quest items. This is likely a reason why the craft system is so refined - It's your primary source of gear.
Quests are very verbose and rich in text so if reading storyline is your game there is plenty of it. Those of us not so inclined can spam space though!
On the whole it's no WoW and it's certainly not a fully engrossing MMO. Battle instances are hosted on a team members PC and not a central server for example. I have also not been able to experience open world play. The extent of the Beta I saw was staged in a small Town from which you launch boats into battles. It is, however, F2P and I can see myself picking it up because it is properly good fun.
I took a gameplay video of my Lvl 25-26 Fiona in Northen Pike heavy gear with a hammer before the beta closed down. Would recommend 720/1080p on YouTube itself as it's a 1920x1200 recording. Original Res is available also if you run 1920x1200 also
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