I think it would be best to start this post of with a few small, but vital details – Earth Eternal is a browser based game and yes, Earth Eternal is a real MMORPG. Not just a text adventure, with some graphics here and there. And last but not least – Earth Eternal is a World of WarCraft clone. We all know WoW wasn’t very original to begin with(don’t hate me), but it’s been a tendency lately to change the name of the game world, make a few graphical updates/remodels here and there and copy/paste everything else. But if you were to ask me: Is Earth Eternal any good?, then my answer would be: yes, definitely. Why? Read the Earth Eternal review below.
A Technical Feat
I already mentioned that Earth Eternal is an free MMO, and it’s time to pay the developer Sparkplay its respects. The only thing you need to play Earth Eternal is a small browser plugin called Spark Player and you’re good to go. Being browser-based has its advantages, which Earth Eternal squeezes to the max. First – the web community. At any given time you can edit your profile information, signature, avatar, etc and other players can see them. And of course, you are in your browser, meaning you can just open up a new tab and google something while your character is resting. Graphically, the game is as pretty as it gets and is well designed in a comic-style. The soundtrack is fairly simple, most of the time its just static background noises.
Gameplay
Remember how I said the game is a WoW-clone? I meant it. Anyone whose ever played the hit MMORPG by Blizzard entertainment will feel at home, as the controls, interface, quests, professions, everything is practically a remodeled version of WoW. One of the few noticeable differences are the game’s races who are, but are not limited to.. anthropomorphic animals. The game has 22 races in total, allowing for vast character customization. We see a lizard, a rabbit, a raccoon, an owl, a robot, a cyclop, a yeti, a demon.. and many more. Unfortunately the only thing each race provides is a different look and thats all – no race exclusive classes, no racial skills, no nothing.. Moving on you customize your avatar a bit(colors mostly) and you’re ready to hop onto the newbie zone that is a small mushroom island. You do a few quests, repair your boat and are taken to the island to Corsica, where you can meet friends, explore, pick plants, kill plants, or do quests. Here is our next conclusion: the gameplay of Earth Eternal is not very advanced, but suits the job. It takes a surprisingly long period of time for you to get bored. The interface is taken to a minimum, everything is explained as simple as possible. But hey – the game is a browser-based WoW-clone where you can play as a goat, you can’t expect Baldur’s Gate. Skills are obtained by using skill points.. All in all, Earth Eternal offers a bit simplistic gameplay that is packed with repetitive content and does its job well. The game also lacks any kind of PvP, which only serves to declare that, it’s not hardcore even more.
Community
One of the strongest sides of Earth Eternal are its community tools which not only take complete advantage of the platform, but continue both in-game and out. The game’s popularity is growing and on your way you’ll meet many people. The bad side to the casual goodness that is the game is in the form of the credit system, where at a certain point you will have to start wasting money in order to keep up with the pace. The game also has a clan system, where you will mostly make new friends. I imagine you already got it but in case you haven’t – Earth Eternal depends a great deal on its community.
Sayonara
Earth Eternal is a wonderful and simple MMORPG for anyone. The game has its flaws, but the fact that it can be ran on practically anything and that its easily accessible only serves to tighten its casual style. You, as a hardcore gamer, may not like Earth Eternal, but you could point it to someone whose never played an MMO and just wants to kill a few hours.
You really have made a poor attempt to make the game sound good. You have done everything possibly to make it sound dull & un-exciting. Don’t give up your day job.
January 28th, 2010 at 9:39 amQuote
I question whether or not you even played this game. Yes, it’s browser based and yes, I agree that it’s fun. That’s about the extent to which I agree with your review, however. On top of that, you haven’t even touched on core mechanics of the game.
1) “since its a browser game, practically any given PC can run it – not true. It has known performance issues and even the CEO has acknowledged that the system requirements are too high. It does’t perform well on low-end machines at all.
2) “When you’re not in-game you can just play one of the cleverly implemented minigames” – What minigames? There’s one…
3) Many players (if not most) launch the game in the cilent, not a browser window.
4) “Skills are obtained through a skill vendor – No, they’re not. Skills are obtained by using earned or purchased ability points in your skills window. prerequisites.
5) “The bad side to the casual goodness that is the game is in the form of the credit system, where at a certain point you will have to start wasting money in order to keep up with the pace” – Not true – you can play the entire game without spending money. Even if you want to spend credits, it’s possible to earn them for free or buy them through the credit exchange with gold.
6) “The game also lacks any kind of PvP, which only serves to declare that, it’s not hardcore even more. – It has been announced that PvP will be implemented, hopefully within the next few months.
7) “grinding is taken to a minimum” – There’s actually a fair amount of grinding in the game and it gets worse as you level. If you’ve ever crafted, you’ll realize how much of a grind there is just to craft a single item.
Personally, I think EE is a great game. It’s got solid core mechanics down, but needs a lot of polish. That being said, the developer team is dedicated, listens to it’s player base and seems to have plans to inject even more MMO goodness in the near future. I’m having fun playing it now and am looking forward to upcoming improvements.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:37 amQuote
I bet…I bet that you played 5 minuets of the game and then turned it off to write this sad review. PLus once again…..someone is comparing this to WoW…which is not a proper comparison: WoW is 5 years old now and has been out of beta for even longer….EE is under 1 year old and is still in beta. Next…the credit system is optional…YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE IT! Also, as Rhinok stated…PvP is coming…they are STILL working on it. I also have a level 30 character and I still must grind…grinding is NOT at a minimum…and once again as Rhinok stated…skills are earned via level ups, not vendors. As far as minigames go…please…tell me where you found the other minigames…cause as far as I know, there is only 1 minigame available. So….did you REALLY look at the website or play the game, good sir? Because from the looks of things…you just wrote a half-a**ed review in hopes to earn a bigger paycheck….seriously…step down from writing reviews until you actually look at a game
January 28th, 2010 at 5:45 pmQuote
Not much more to say then EE is, while certainly needing more finishing touches, a good game. However, you wouldn’t know this because you didn’t play it now did you?
January 28th, 2010 at 10:11 pmQuote
Dude.
I play this game and im actually in top 50. I didn’t spend any $ in credit, and i’m still in the competition. There’s something you can do to buy credit, is the credit exchange. Poor people just have to grind gold then exchange the gold for credit.
It looks like a WoW copy, but it’s not. Trust me :o)
January 28th, 2010 at 10:32 pmQuote
If Earth Eternal was a used car, it wouldn’t make it a scap metal.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:09 pmQuote
Well I think it is an Accurate review when you consider that the GAME IS IN BETA!! However assuming that they will successfully fulfill what is said here is not all that likely.
Wll in all though, he wrapped it up perfectly… Not for hardcore gamers but great MMORPG or everyone else.
January 28th, 2010 at 11:17 pmQuote
Well I have to say as a semi regular player, I find that while there is a VERY similar style of simple HUD mechanics, and hot-key functions, to do just a bout anything that any individual player could recognize, theres just a little bit more to it. unstated in this review itself.
while Some of the play is a little mediocre, grinding, and Definitely at times conspicuously drawn out with the hack slash and “gather the drop” play, theres a bit of fun to it, stated before it’s a reasonable game to play if your not really in to the MMO play, but want to experiment, over all I’d recommend this game for anyone 7+ that just wants an idle time waster.
A mild warning though to those that would use the browser access, theres a bit of lag problem form its use of port 80, used for Internet, the stand alone client solves this jumpy lag issue, though not by much, so perhaps the web function is a nice feature but its just for when you want to play on the go, if you want a real experience playing the game use the client, not the bowser,
As for the credit system.. that it seems a bit of an unfair advantage to some when they get to use the credits to purchase ability points, when they COULD go to a stage where they could instead use them for attribute points instead, Giving a little more variety to the individuals, so one could become a true bad ass with a “tank mage”, or a speed freak healer, or a spell sword warrior.
One of the better parts of this game i found is that theres an in-game armor customizer, that allows you to transfer the Protective/power boosting ability of your drops and purchases to the look of an armor look that you enjoy.
much like giving your brand car the look of your old one to surprise your friends and enemies with the “kablam” that a weak looking but surprisingly powerful item could produce.
some Drawbacks that i find however on the drops and pickups, is that the boosting items that one finds, if you try to put them on you CAN’T Trade them off to someone that is willing to pay a Good price you’d other wise never get at the market.
this game is certainly a achievement for being a well supported Browser MMO, fun but tedious at times, between the occasional flipping out of a loading screen, and getting ninja’d with a currently loading enemy model you cant even see, just after, the overall fun and care freeness of the game make up for it, with an earnest attempt to compete with other big name MMO’s by giving out the almost constant updates to fix the glitches that one finds within.. such as the “Camelot bridge of Omnomnom.”
*end mindles gibbering*
January 30th, 2010 at 11:16 pmits a good game, thats trying to be better, it’s still in beta, so give them time to finish gettign that last tweek in when they turn out the full game. it’s likely to be much better in the future. jsut like WOW was in its baby beta days.
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I sorta agree, it is a bit different than WOW, it is addicting yes, and it’s STILL IN BETA keep in mind… and… PVP is being added so yeah..
January 31st, 2010 at 1:14 amQuote
This review was terrible for the reasons Rhynok so masterfully stated in his comment above. I currently play EE and Star Trek Online and I am loving both! I consider myself a hardcore gamer but not some kind of all or nothing elitist that doesn’t understand what the word BETA means. MMO’s are fragile things that need YEARS of polish to truly shine. I for one will be playing Earth Eternal and donating money to its further development in the form of credit purchase. Great work SparkPlay!
January 31st, 2010 at 11:00 pmQuote
I am a veteran player of EE, and givin my experience,I would say that is a game worth sticking with. What, it came out in september, if i’m nott mistaken. that’s less than six months, and many people are already trying to give it a bad name. Words for the critics: Think before you type!!! This game has so much more to be implemennted, and thats why it is in beta,so that we, as gamers, can help to improve gameplay, and in 5 years, I don’t doubt that this game could hit the top ten MMO’s. We can all see the disadvantages. Woo hoo. However, I am pleased to see the entirely free play, which is very rare, and what they do want for money is optional. They don’t stuff it in your face at every load screen, or every corner. I’ am in agreement with Obryan. I will continue to pay full respects to the game, given that it is a symphony at the age of 6 months, and it is free. WoW is a bar band country song that requires 5 bucks so the developers can buy more booze and call the game “good”. Do NOT underestimate the potential of this game. But, we can all agree. This is an infinite amount better than runescape. Get ready for a next gen MMO to come and rule the gaming community. Gaia be with you. Fyrus Olin, Over and out.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:06 amQuote
I just want to ask this question. Why is it that every time I read a review about a MMORPG it has the words “WoW-like” or “similar to WoW”. after a few months of playing this game I have come to the conclusion that the only similarities is the following
1) persistent world with instanced dungeons
2) Comic graphics (which is very sad for Blizzard to be shown that their graphics can nearly be had by a browser based game)
3) it is a MMORPG
sounds like 2/3 relate to every MMO i have ever seen or heard about…
I must say that i hated WoW due to the pay system race perks and loved Guild Wars due to the free subscription and gameplay had a few gripes but not many. EE definately gives me those pieces of the MMORPG’s that i actually enjoy and every update makes me a little happier with Sparkfly. so as for “Bang for your Buck” this is the best MMO i have ever played :D.
February 7th, 2010 at 5:00 amQuote
The game actually reminds me much more of EQ1 than WoW. I was fond of seeing some of the core mechanics that made EQ1 great, i.e. its not all instant travel, bind function, the need for groups, etc. Of course, there are many unique and common functions to newer MMOs that I’m glad were incorporated too!
May 2nd, 2010 at 11:37 amQuote
I have only player to level 10 so far, so for anyone thinking about trying it, here’s my first impression.
Day 1
-I personally loved the character creation and customization. Some of the best I’ve seen as far as aesthetics in any mmo except maybe city of heroes. I made a Noctari (get the name right? It’s an owl) Druid. I respect their choice not to add racial specializations, and make up for it by making a character you can truly call your own.
-The game leans towards grinding levels and enemies through a steady stream of quests. This hasn’t become boring because the game is new to me and I enjoy the new car smell.
-Loot is given quite frequently when your heroism bar fills. Had to make sure I sold what I had in my bags whenever I had a quest to turn in or else I wouldn’t be able to carry more. This is one of the first ways the developers ask for money, through causing insecurity about inventory space. I don’t really mind though, there’s too much benefit for the game being free.
-Heroism is a bar that fills as you continually kill mobs that give xp and increases your luck. I like this feature, even though it rewards massive grinding, it also rewards any time spent in general.
-I chose the druid, and after reading the skills I didn’t like the sound of a lot of what they had to choose from. I didn’t change classes however, because not only can they use bows well, not only can they use heavier armor, but I can also choose the abilities of many other classes and form a character of my own! The amount of ability mixing and customization is what I like most and I think will keep this game ahead in its originality in this area.
-I so far haven’t spent any real money in the game, and haven’t experienced many (or any? Except maybe inventory space early on) drawbacks to the gameplay due to it. As I spend over a weeks time and still feel excited about my character, I might just buy a thing or two to support the developers.
Day 2 To Do List
-Check out crafting.
-Explore.
-Try to meet some consistent gamer friends.
-Form a party and get a feel for group synergy.
-Fight some enemies a lot higher than me just to see if I can do it.
-Fight lots of enemies at once for the same reason.
-See if my heroism bar went back to 0 after logging (haven’t checked).
-See how far I can fill my heroism bar.
I think the best the developers can do is continue to grow the game in the area of community and aesthetics. Also giving more reasons to kill many mobs such as crafting items for your own hideaway (think they’re talking about). I can explode on ideas I have but I think they’re on the right track. I can’t trust the developers integrity to keep it easy and free like it is, but I trust time will tell.
May 12th, 2010 at 4:38 pmQuote
Yes this is a great game, your review sucks, and why compare it to WoW? WoW sucks anyways: pvp is tacked on, it looks like the some of the 3-d games I used to play on my ps2, there is sooo much lag I can’t even go through a city with minimum graphics without LD, and I haven’t even mention the fact that it is too much like every other p2p RPG out there. Thats right, I played WoW and HATED it. “Well you only played for like five minutes”, you will say. Wrong! Try two years. I got bored, yeah, had all the expansions, still bored. Bought DAOC, never bored again. Try it out. So, stop comparing to WoW: it doesn’t mean a thing when it’s constant.
December 17th, 2010 at 2:13 pmQuote
wow there sure are a lot of flaming fan boys here, everyone says its not like WOW but never provides a real reason or statement of why, Ive played wow and EE, the gameplay for the most part seems copied and pasted from WOW, i have played the game for a decent amount of time and i cant see why anyone would deny its almost exact similarities to WOW, if someone can explain to me how its not a wow clone then id be happy to be proven wrong
February 24th, 2011 at 1:33 pmQuote