Metin2

Rating Teen Genre fantasy Publisher G4Box External Links Metin2 Website

As a game reviewer I attempt to stay away from pigeon-holing titles as much as possible, but with so many World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, and Phantasy Star clones out there, it becomes increasingly difficult to even approach one of these games without drawing similarities or ‘who-did-it-betters’ from some of the more “successful” predecessors. When I first fired up the client for Metin2 I was already seeing signs that this title would not be anything like WoW and friends. One of the first things I remarked on about the Three Kingdoms era oriental MMO was its particularly fast paced combat system. Once a character gains enough levels from simple melee or spell flinging they unlock a tier system style skill-set. Once unlocked these skills become quick, mid-combat maneuvers that can quickly save you from death or quickly deal it out to others.

Character creation is never what I hope it to be. One word: customization, customization, customization. Sure, I said it three times, but its only one word. What could be more important in a massively multiplayer online game than making your character look just the way you want them, and not like Metin2’s one in four chance of looking like everyone else in your class. The character classes in Metin2 range from the typical to the obscure. Certainly your spell flinging friend can roll a Mage, and later prestige onto a Lightning healer or Dragon destruction spammer. Tanks can be Warriors which later decide between Defense and Damage specs. The remaining two classes are not quite as black and white. The Assassin class *cough* personal favorite *cough* is your typical damage spam, close-range whirling dervish, but at later levels the player is asked to decide between becoming a more Huntery, ranged character, or giving into the embracing dark of refined CQC death. The Sura are the half demonic character with unpredictable powers and strengths. They excel at damaging spells as well as weapon use. Their two skill trees split that line right down the middle, making the character decide which that like more.

One of the less shining aspects of the Metin2 universe is the primarily player based economy. Any player with a hand full of coins can open up a trade stand, then shout at the world about how their prices are better then the other guys, which aside from clogging the air and making average chat impossible, is terribly hard to gauge on a beta server. Over the torrential smog of player chat hovering in the air, is the light and airy breakthrough of Metin2’s simple and serene soundtrack and landscape. The kingdom areas are fun, but occasionally dangerous to explore alone. Their large, expansive fields lead from cities to ruins to barren fields covered, and I mean covered, with every manner of wild dog and wolf derivative. So, could Metin2 become the next PSO? I guess its up to the players to decide. So if you’re interested, the gents over at Metin2.us would more than love to get your feedback on this classic in the making.