Reviews for the Road: TERA

I recently posted that I was going to participate in the fourth closed beta for the upcoming action-MMORPG TERA (The Exiled Realm of Arborea) by Bluehole Studio. After playing the game for far too many hours within  the two days, I am ready to give my initial review on this highly anticipated new game.

I started by creating my first character. My chosen race was Aman, and after slighly customizing one of the many preset looks I was ready to choose my class. While I knew that this game was supposed to be more action-oriented, I was interested in how this style of gameplay would work with my favorite class to play in MMOs - the sorcerer.

After viewing a beautiful looking cutscene (whereafter several other shorter scenes occur along the main storyline) you appear on the clichéd noob island where you will obviously begin to kill multiple small animals as seen in the beginning of almost every other MMORPG to date. The quests in this game are definitely not unique. At least on the first island the only types of quests you will experience will be 'kill x of x' or 'collect x of x'. However, while doing these quests you will learn of the best part of this game - which is the action-oriented combat. At about level 12 you will be able to leave noob island and venture into the massive world of TERA.

The fighting in this game is better than any other MMO I have ever played - but it may not be for everyone. Using an always-present cross-hair in the center of the screen you can target enemies. Primary skills are used through the left and right mouse buttons, as well as the 0-9 number keys and function keys. In my example of the sorcerer class, I began with a fireball skill on my left mouse button and dodge on the right button. TERA's combat forces you to move around, and unlike other games in this genre you cannot eat Cheetos or drink Mountain Dew while fighting a tough enemy. Creatures that charge will severely injure you unless you dodge their attacks.

Due to the unique combat system, using skills is much different than other games. For example, when using my fireball skill I can simply hold down the left mouse button and I will continuously attack where my cross-hair is pointed. Many skills require you to be within a certain distance of your enemy, which is where dodging comes in very important. There is no selecting of enemies so you will have to aim all of your skills at your opponent or you may end up attacking the floor instead!

If story is what you are interested in games, TERA adds nothing special to the world of MMOs. For that there is always the 'single-player with other people walking around' The Old Republic and the co-operative story-driven Guild Wars series. The graphics in this game are sharper than almost any other, and as previously stated the cutscenes look incredible.

If you are looking for a new MMO to play, I wouldn't look much further than TERA. The gameplay, graphics, and the great community really set it apart. It has become the first subscription game to make me almost feel like paying a monthly fee - until I realized I was far too busy to commit enough time to get my money's worth - which is why I am so excited for Guild Wars 2. If you are interested in an alternative to other popular MMOs, and are willing to pay a monthly fee, this is the game for you. I give TERA a 75/100. I look forward to the day when it goes free-to-play as most MMOs will do very soon.

TERA is scheduled for a North American release of May 1, 2012 and in Europe on May 3rd.

Posted in: Gaming,MMORPG,Reviews,TERA