Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Combat is a little crazy at times due to some questionable AI. Sometimes you can unload a round into an enemy and he’ll take off running away from you and it will be a second or two before he figures out that it’s kind of hard to engage the enemy when you’re both running in the same direction. At other times you can pop an enemy in a group and his friends won’t be compelled to help as you blast him out of his boots. Aggro range in some cases seems very small, so you can run right by some enemies and never even get their attention. However, when combat is engaged, you can often just back-peddle and pop a pursuing even level melee foe into swiss cheese to bring him down and not suffer a lot of damage if any yourself.

Characters across the world make use of short voice-overs from time to time and this works well with the theme, but you can see the developers adding subtle jokes into the mix. One example came from a character that gives you a mission (quest) in Zanesville. After you speak with the NPC he will insist you take some training before receiving your mission and he sends you off with some insight on the town and the parting G.I. Joe line of, “Well now you know, and knowing is half the battle.”

The graphics of the game are not bad, but they aren’t the same quality as a game like Vanguard or Age of Conan. Still, they are not bad and tend to fit the game’s theme, but things do tend to get bland at times as there aren’t a lot of colors in the world. World population seems dense in some areas as well. I spent quite a while just running across the landscape to see what lies beyond the plains, but there were huge gaps in enemy or NPC population. You can traverse the open lands and often times not see anything aside from dirt and grass for quite a ways. However, there are several areas that have been set up like enemy camps; it’s just the areas between those and the cities that seem devoid of life.

Crafting is pretty simple and continues on the disappointing trend of not being too involving. You get a recipe and the materials to make an item, click it in the crafting window, and then wait until it’s finished. Depending on the item, this can take a while if you haven’t added to your crafting skill. Resources of the world are a bit limited, so trade with other players is a big part of the game.

You can also acquire mounts in the game to help get around. Horses and other craftable mounts like ATVs can be made to allow faster transport across the large landmass. These can be useful, but resources can sometimes be hard to come by, making trade a useful tool.

Factions are another big element of the game and an important one from a progression standpoint. Each faction has two allies and one arch enemy. As you gain faction with one you are essentially losing it with three, but also gaining with your chosen faction’s allies. However, the way the faction wheel works is that you can work your way into becoming allied with your chosen faction’s sworn enemy by working up your faction with their allies, but in doing so, your allies will then become your enemies. Each faction specializes in certain skills that can be useful to you as you progress, so choose the one that will best suit your needs.

Fallen Earth comes off as a niche MMOG and it certainly fulfils that role. While the graphics and combat will not be for everyone, there is certainly a strong core group of players in the game and enjoying the post-apocalyptic world of Fallen Earth. Combat offers a unique experience for an MMOG and the mix of shooter and RPG play works well with the game's overall design. Crafting is a bit disappointing, but it's fairly standard for the current trend in most MMOGs design. Overall, despite a few issues, the game offers a fun experience and an intriguing world for players to enjoy.