Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning Previews

A handful of new previews for Mythic Entertainment’s Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning have surfaced on the web. The first is at GameSpy:

At the forefront of Warhammer Online are two opposing factions: the forces of Order, and the forces of Chaos. Disparate (and self-contained) armies comprise these two factions, and while they’ve been known to hate (and thus, kill) each other in the Warhammer universe, they’re allied, for all intents and purposes, as far as the MMO goes. On the side of Order, you have the Empire (think of them as Germanic humans with fairly advanced technologies); the High Elves (haughty, refined, and very proficient with magic); and the Dwarves (who are tough as nails, though crafty with the gadgets). On the Chaos side, you have, well, the legions of Chaos (basically they’re crazed, demon-worshipping Norsemen with really cool armor); Greenskins (consisting of both orcs and goblins); and Dark Elves (less noble than their brethren, but no less magically-inclined).

The second is at GameSpot:

Interestingly, orcs in particular will look distinct from each other, and from other races, since the further orc characters advance, the taller and bulkier they’ll become (though warrior characters from all races will apparently become more muscular over time). Developer Mythic, the creator of the competitive-PVP-focused Dark Age of Camelot, feels that it’ll be much more important to be able to quickly identify characters from a distance, so that smaller, younger orcs can marvel at the size of their accomplished brethren, while younger dwarves will know who to steer clear of. Yet all characters will be expressively animated with full facial animations that convey a range of moods (such as angry, sad, angry, happy, angry, afraid, and really angry), and the game will feature an animated face portrait of your character onscreen so that you can see your own character’s range of emotions, rather than staring at your character’s backside as they run from point A to point B.

The third is at Games Radar:

Sound ambitious? We think so, too, but the game’s makers, Mythic Entertainment, understand this element of gameplay inside and out. They’ve invented, tweaked and perfected player-vs-player combat in their incredibly fun and popular, online, role-playing title, Dark Age of Camelot. They firmly believe that Age of Reckoning is truly the spiritual sequel to Dark Age of Camelot, and are crafting a game that they hope will offer players the definitive player-vs-player combat experience – and that’s really what Warhammer is all about.

The fourth is at GameZone:

The game will feature competitive PvE (Player-versus-environment), as well as capture the flavor of the IP. For example, you will see carrion picking at dead bodies, and the distant landscape may hold a tower that beckons for exploration. Character customization is not about (the minutia of manipulating nostrils,) stated Producer Lance Roberston, (it is about being able to identify characters from 20 feet away) by what they are wearing.

And the fifth is at RPG Vault:

RvR play will take place in designated parts of the world, and you’ll be advised whenever you enter one. Unlike Dark Age of Camelot, these locales won’t be separated from the PvE areas by long distances. Instead, they’ll be right beside each other within any zone; by standing in an appropriate spot, you’ll be able to observe PvP without being a participant. Should you choose to enter the fray, stepping back outside the demarcation line won’t save you since your flag won’t instantly reset.