Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle (PC)

While joining a group of other players is a great way to quickly cut through hordes of monsters and earn lots of experience to gain levels, it's a very poor way to earn "adena," the game's currency. For whatever reason, the amount of money you pick up from higher-level monsters doesn't match up with the rising costs of new weapons and armor. So the most efficient way to play Lineage II seems to be fighting weaker monsters on your own, since you'll sustain fewer injuries per battle and will be able to fight longer without having to stop and rest. "Farming," or grinding away at the same monsters for hours at a time to accrue money, is practically required if you plan to develop your character past level 20. Perhaps as a result of this problematic economy, some unscrupulous players have taken to fashioning money scams, and in the most extreme cases, players have taken to farming and selling adena online for real-life cash--an activity that is against the game's end-user license agreement. NCsoft North America has apparently begun to crack down on these activities at this time.

While Lineage II's current gameplay may not appeal to everyone, it's certainly a game that sounds decent and looks great. The game features an appropriate faux orchestral music score that plays in specific regions of the game, though sound effects are pretty minimal. You'll hear short, subdued audio clips for casting magic spells, and equally subdued voice samples for the game's monsters and your own characters, which will mumble or grunt while fighting or performing the game's few social gestures. You'll also see huge, scenic vistas that include detailed cities and elaborate statuaries as well as highly detailed character models. Lineage II clearly draws inspiration from Japanese animation, and its art design is stylized and consistent. The game's characters look great for what they are, though the female dark elves begin the game with an embarrassing lack of clothing.

Depending on how you look at it, Lineage II offers either a repetitive grind or a stiff challenge. In any case, the game isn't suited for more casual players who may only have time to play for 30 minutes to an hour. But if you're looking to test your mettle at hacking through many, many monsters, Lineage II will definitely give you that much. And perhaps the upcoming large-scale player-versus-player features, like castle sieges, will make the game more exciting. At any rate, it's a fairly stable game that runs with only occasional pockets of lag. So if you're in the market for another online RPG in which you can fight lots of monsters, Lineage II will serve that purpose, especially if you plan to wait around for the game's upcoming features, which will be unveiled in subsequent, free downloadable episodes called "chronicles." But if you're looking for a game that offers more content, better group options, and less of a grind, you should look elsewhere, at least for now.