Champions of Norrath Online Hands-on

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But it was surprising in other ways, too. While I admittedly have no taste for the EverQuest series, this game doesn't require any previous information, any four-week stints of uninterrupted online madness. Taking place several hundred years before the current PC version occurs, CON: ROE creates a whole new story for newbie players to hop right in. Well OK, no surprise there.

I'm not really an RPG fan, as you may have already figured. Well actually, I'm not even close. I dislike turned-based RPGs; to me, they're slow, cumbersome and dull. I'm sure that if I had more patience and time, and liked fiddling with menus and such, I'd have a grand time with RPGs. But as it is, I don't. So, why would I enjoy CON: NOE?

My surprise was that once I got the hang of the menus and the controls, and set up my character, the game grew on me like a love affair. The sheer amount of weapons and armor I collected in just a few small dungeons was ridiculous. What I liked even more, however, was how easy it was to replenish important things like Mana and Health. Instead of stopping the game, going to a menu, etc., etc., I tapped L1 to replenish my Mana. I touched R1 to replenish my Health and I kept on moving, with no stop in the action.

While I haven't played nearly as many RPGs as my buddy, Jeremy Dunham, this hack-'n-slash action-RPG had me set on frivolously wasting the rest of my day. I wouldn't even have written this story if I hadn't been adroitly removed from the game by my wife (for a doctor's appt.). The collection and weapon building system works brilliantly, too. I kept picking up various magical gems, which, like <diablo and Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, I learned could be fashioned to various weapons. In the menu screen, four black ovals represent slots to adhere magic items to. I stuck a magical gem in there and instantly upgraded my sword so that it practically doubled in power, and got the added bonus of electricity. In CON: ROE, you can attach magic items to weapons and armor. And even if you're a warrior, you can use Mana to build magical attacks. Using the Dpad, players pull up a quick reference palette and there they can map various magic attacks to face buttons. I had a fiery power attack mapped to the Circle Button, and when I was in a pinch, I was able to slay bigger, meaner baddies quite readily. As for the online gaming, once we got over IGN's firewall, the playing was a breeze. I put the headset on and was talking with CON: ROE Producer Robert Hill throughout the adventure. The game enables up to four people to play simultaneously online or offline, without a split-screen. Online, you can leave and go to another room, while your compatriots wander off too; it's not a big deal, and using the headset you can yell for help when attacked or call when you've found a special item or new doorway. The framerate held fast and there was no noticeable stutter at all. The only thing I noticed was some texture work tearing in a few corner areas in a goblin cave. The game is so functional. The peer-to-peer online play enables players to save their own characters to their own memory cards, and if one of the four players dies, the headset still enables players to communicate, while the camera stays fixed on one of the living characters. If you die, a fellow player can run back to a save point, which instantly revives you. Also, if you've collected a ton of stuff and can't pick up a just-found, all-important item, instead of dropping it in vain, players can press Select and Square together to instantly transport to a shopkeeper, so they can trade in collected goods for newer cash, cleaning up their inventory for more goods. (You can buy and sell to the shopkeeper, but not with one another.) There are literally hundreds of items, and because the dungeons are randomly generated, you'll never find the same set of enemies wih the same goods in the same place twice. The hefty amount of items plays into the core of the game's appeal; players are constantly sifting through new stuff. Playing through CON: ROE is like pouring through a medieval fantasy flea market. You'll find single-handed swords, two-handed axes and hammers, dozens upon dozens of magical items, headbands, bracelets, gems potions, stacks of gold, and some specialty items you'll never find two of. Some weapons enable spells to be adhered to them, while others actually provide magical uses already embedded. For instance, I picked up a decent single-handed sword, but it cast a poison gas each time it's used -- without me doing anything to it. Collecting stuff works into the gameplay in so many ways. Players have to constantly filter through everything. You'll spend hours picking up come stuff and just checking it to see what the heck it is, what it's value is to your character class, and if it can be tweaked or enhanced. Once you've become familiar with the game's menus and the bulk of the items, the process moves a lot faster, too. Another nice touch occurs when you're in the menus themselves. The game takes place in realtime, so if your buddy switches to his menu, an elipsis appears in a word bubble over his head so you'll know then to wait and protect him. But he can take damage while in the menu. The screen will flash red, indicating that hammers are coming down on his head and that he'd better face the music quick or else. After a healthy stint blasting past enemies and taking my fair share of hits, taking on a side-quest and saving an elven chap from death with some elf draft, I was totally sold on this game. And I don't even like RPGs. That pretty much says it all. It's gorgeous, it's online, and it's fast. It enables the use of a headset and the sheer amount of gaming value here -- whether it's online, co-op play, or simple single-player gaming -- is enormous. Keep your eyes aimed on February 16, because this game is sure to give those original Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance fans a thrill just as powerful, deep and surprising as that first time.

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