In a genre that's packed to overflow with goblins, dragons and armor-clad heroes, is there any room for another fantasy Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) game in the current market. Sure, “World of Warcraft” sits on its throne like a mighty king, dismissing all would-be monarchs with a wave of its regal hand. While most may feel this means all challengers are sent to the dungeons to rot, swinging for all eternity from shackled walls, nothing could be further from the truth. In actuality, the Kingdom of MMOs has enough room for a prince or two and maybe even a few knights, and while each may never see the comforting warmth of a cushioned throne, they each wield great power over the citizens who follow them. This is the case with the latest member of the royal family, “Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning.”



WAR's claim to fame is it's attachment to the Games Workshop miniature-based, tabletop game, “Warhammer.” Rabid fans of the pseudo-sport have flocked to conventions, purchased thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, and ultimately spent there hard-earned paychecks on lackluster video games. The masses begged for a pixelated gift from the folks at EA, hoping to quell their desires for an interactive, electronic Warhammer experience. Their answer came in the form of WAR, but much like many presents from faceless gift-givers, it came at a price.

You see, WAR is an amazing game offering much of what made its predecessors successful while creating unique experiences for the seasoned MMO veterans. The user interface, quest givers and combat systems will, without a doubt, remind you of popular titles such as “Everquest” and “World of Warcraft,” but where this game really shines is with its Player versus Player (PvP) combat and stellar public quest systems. PvP is brought to a larger scale with Realm versus Realm combat. Once there, you'll join up with a massive army as you lead an assault or defend your homeland against your enemies. Public Quests offer repeatable, scripted events that can earn special rewards as well as the opportunity to participate in mini adventures that act as a reprieve from monotonous grinding.

Sadly, these amazing features are stained with the frustration caused by low framerates and lag issues. Don't get me wrong. I've played enough MMOs from beta to release to know that every game on this scale suffers lag issues and lowered framerates. I'm sure as the game gathers subscribers, has the chance to tweak their servers, and patch system-slowing glitches, WAR will be an enjoyable experience for everyone playing. But, when your running a system that exceeds system requirements and the game chugs like the Little Engine That Could, all you experience is irritation.

All-in-all, would I recommend WAR, absolutely. The game offers everything that makes its competitors great and improves upon it every step of the way. System slowdowns, much like bad weather, will pass, allowing the sun to shine, birds to sing, and greenskins to plant their mighty axes in the toughened skulls of enraged dwarves. WAAAAAGH!!!