Rating: 
Summary: The return of Arthur heralds the death of Everquest
Review: Boy, this game has been a long time coming. Having played on the beta for DAoC and having played Everquest for the past 2 years, I must say that Mythic has a winner here. Having improved upon everything that Verant had worked so hard for but just let fall apart, DAoC brings a breath of fresh air to all of us fans of Online RPGs. With new and inventive ideas, a familiar console(at least for those who played EQ), and a helpful and caring staff, DAoC fares to rival Everquest as the biggest and most played Online RPG ever. Good luck Mythic, and for all you hardcore EQ players out there, give this game a shot. You won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Played the beta version, looks promising but not spectacular
Review: If you're not familiar with beta testing, it's a process where gamers test and play the game before it is released. I beta tested the game up until a few days before its release and while I thought Dark Age of Camelot was a decent game I wasn't overwhelmed by it.First off, Dark Age of Camelot is an online multiplayer game and it seems to be more stable than some of the recent disasters that have been released. One disclaimer to this is that I experienced bad lag (pauses or slow gameplay due to slow internet signals) in the major cities in the last days of beta testing because more beta testers were allowed in the game which makes me think that when the game is released it will only get worse. If you're going to purchase Dark Age of Camelot I would check recent news and PC game bulletin boards to see if the company's servers are holding up and the game isn't experiencing too many bugs. The graphics are definitely impressive and I would compare it to the game Asheron's Call with better resolution. As a matter of fact, the game plays similar to Asheron's Call with a set of rules resembling Baldur's Gate or any Dungeons & Dragons PC games. While the game looks to be stable and takes advantage of better graphics than most online games it just doesn't seem to offer much. After picking a server to play on, you also pick a realm to play in which affects what type of races you can play. Some of the races are large creatures such as trolls or small creatures like kobolds and are a nice change from the usual formats for swords & sorcery online games. After the races though, the choice of professions for your character are very limited. Essentially, you can only be a warrior, mage, thief or cleric with subtle distinctions occuring as you reach higher levels and are able to swear to different gods in the game who give you special abilities. I didn't enjoy the setup for gameplay. Many easy actions such as simply quitting the game require you to type in a command. I felt the chat options were more technical than they needed to be and the chat box wasn't large enough to begin with. Your actions are also recorded in the chat box and the game seems to be more oriented for the keyboard than the mouse. It's fun to see some of the warrior classes allowed minor spells at higher levels but the spells that are provided don't match some of the online competitors's games. The quests and adventures provided are difficult to find and most cities are very small. It's almost like the game was perfected to look "pretty" while forgetting vast quests, subplots, NPC activity and other elements that make many online games enjoyable for months. Also, if you are a gamer than enjoys playing solo, this might not be the game for you because it's oriented for group play with some clever options put in such as screens that allow you to find any players in your region that are seeking companions. I would give the game a try to see if you enjoy it but in my opinion, it doesn't match up to Ultima Online, Asheron's Call or Everquest.
Rating:
Summary: Just so-so..beware the hype of beta testers..
Review: As time moves along, more and more computer gaming companies are jumping on the MMORPG bandwagon. Some cling tenaciously, despite a plethora of problems including laggy gameplay, missing features, and bad customer service. One of the newest of the 'next generation' MMORPGs is Dark Age of Camelot by Mythic Entertainment. While this is admittedly a stable and fairly well-performing game, compared to recent buggy releases in the same genre (AO, WW2 Online), it's mostly a humdrum experience, and feels not unlike wading in a shallow pool on a hot day, it just doesn't really do the trick. The reason for this overall malaise in gameplay stems from the lack of overall gameplay depth and player character options. The lack of a variety of character classes really weakens DaoC's long-term playability and versatility. It's hard to really feel unique, as a PC (player character) within the game world since you're not given many class options. Similarly, while the three different races/realms ARE definitely distinct in both feel and culture, these difference add little more to the overall gameplay, other than providing the player with a focus for enmity when the PvP and PvE battles begin. The 'relic wars', as some are calling them, will be the strong aspect of DaoC. However, even this aspect of the game doesn't add that much to the gameplay. Admittedly, this unique idea does add SOMETHING different to the standard mix of Online gaming's usual fare, but it's just not enough to really distinguish DaoC from the rest of the current pack, stability notwithstanding, and it certainly won't prevent DaoC from being blown away when the heavy-hitters arrive on the scene. Games like Planetside (the Online FPS from Verant, makers of EverQuest), Earth and Beyond (Deep space combat Online RPG from Westwood), and finally, Star Wars: Galaxies (again by Verant) will all showcase unique gameplay and enough interesting differences to make the release of DaoC a (sadly) moot point in the long run. For a game to really stand out, in the competitive genre of MMORPGs, it will need more than just a simple twist on group-based gaming, it will need a copious amount of depth, tons of in-game options, solid gameplay, and a relatively bug-free experience. Dark Age of Camelot provides some of this but without much pizazz, so consider that before spending your hard earned cash on what is, at heart, just another derivative fantasy-based MMORPG.
Rating: 
Summary: DAoC--a game with a future!
Review: Mythic entertainment appears to have, indeed, learned from the errors of its competition. The graphics are, of course, first rate but what really takes DAoC to the next level of immersion is its player-friendly universe, which caters in an intelligent (and highly addictive manner) to massive warfare, small group adventuring and artisan existence alike. One thing, in my view (as a customer), that DAoC seriously needs to reconsider, however, is its approach to mythology vs character design flexibility...namely, I am talking about introduction of skin color options to character creation. Whether in mythos/history Midgard was the land of Vikings is one thing. On the other hand, a great percentage of the on-line player community today comes from beyond caucasian ethnic groups. These people have credit cards also, and will be far more likely to provide Mythic with monthly payments if they can play characters who resemble them a bit closer! And taking this from the other angle, it would be equally cool to have options of play a snow-white or a dark brown troll too! Well, that's the downside so far... Turning to the upside, on the other hand, DAoC borrows the best of epic struggle ideas from games like Lineage, adventuring and guild action from EQ and Asheron's call and artisan skills from Ultima Online. DAoC then cuts out the weaknesses therein and remodels significant details to create a powerful synthesis that is super addictive even in its beta phase! The raw choice of races, classes and specialization options makes the game worth playing. Even within a single class, specialization options give players the opportunity to build diverse characters based on skill point allocation, similar to the way Diablo II handles character growth. DAoC's pluses are simply too numerous to list...but one thing which I must commend Mythic most on so far is listening to its player/customer base! A definite YES of a game, and I would love to see Mythic Entertainment take the skin-color step towards a greater market!
Rating:
Summary: Apprecative Beta Tester
Review: I won't go on about the set up of the game here as previous reviews have summarised that very well. I started beta testing DAOC straight out of playing AC and the grouping feature really drew me. Even when all there was to the game was combat and a few quests I easily spent 6-8 weeks addicted to it. The addition of trade skills really perked my interest up again. Suddenly the game wasn't just about running around and killing things...you could have a break and go into a City and learn the trade skill appropriate to your class. Running consignments (mini-tradeskill quests) within the city to pay for the materials you needed to practice your craft and become a Master of your trade. When you'd sewn too much then you could go into the countryside and kill a few things. The treasure from monsters was an alternative way to pay for raw materials. Since then it has been revealed that there will be a Role Play server. A number of my friends from both sides of the Atlantic have expressed an interest in playing on the RP server a few nights a week as a casual and entertaining gaming hobby. So I find myself coming here to import the game as the European version won't be available for a number of months. DAOC is a computer game; it has a few bugs but they are invariably fixed quickly and thoroughly with the regular smooth updates to the game. If the good management of the beta test is anything to go by then the released product will expand smoothly with new many features and updates in the future. This is not my ideal MMOG but it's a good one. The two words that come to mind for me are 'Quality' and 'Entertaining'. If you want to try playing in a massively multi-player game and meet people from all over the world in a quality entertaining game that has monster killing, levelling, questing, trade skills, guilds, horses, and realm vs realm player combat, many character classes; then go buy this game and have a play.
Rating:
Summary: Unexciting
Review: DAoC does indeed have nice graphics, and the game is at least stable. But what it gains in development, it loses in concept. The game is unexciting and geared towards making it possible for anyone to win regardless of skill. If you get beaten too often in other games and can't figure out why it's not changing, DAoC is a great place to get back some self-esteem. Deyth Valkyrre
The Combine<....
Rating:
Summary: Camelot...history is rewritten.
Review: Whether playing the heroic Albions, the warfaring Midgardians, or the magical Hibernians, this game is sure to please all MMORPG players. From realm vs. realm combat to dungeon crawls, to relic theft and infiltration of enemy castles this game appeals to all types. There's a little bit for everybody. I rate it 5 stars. Check it out!
Rating:
Summary: BOOYAH!!!
Review: I've been BETA testing this game for a month now and I have got to say it's been extremely stable and very playable. My friends just got into the BETA last week and we have been in groups every night since. How good is it? I just pre-ordered it. I'm definitly going to play this game. My EQ guild is wondering where I am. Spectactular graphics, great gameplay. They say that they are concentrating more on RvR than on PvE, but man, PvE is very nice. There won't be any 'grief players' in RvR because you won't know who is who in RvR. Camping? No! There is no reason to camp specific mobs. Everyone doing the same quest and needs the same mob. Group up, everyone gets the quest item on the kill. Quest items and loot items are on seperate tables. THAT ROCKS. You can do low level quests that you haven't done, that you have found and still be able to complete them even if you are too high for the level intended. Rain? Sure it rains, but it's not all fog and can't see, heck there are even breaks in the clouds. There is so much I can say about this game I would definitly run out of room. But this game, look at all these reviews, this game ROCKS.
Rating:
Summary: The Beta has been awesome for months!
Review: Unlike the last several MMOGs to come out, this one actually works and works well. I've been in the beta and it has been rock solid for months. The game is beautiful, the 3 realms couldn't be more different from each other, the number of choices you have for your characters is huge. Hibernia is a 'magical' realm, most of the races have pointy-ears and the feel is a bit "irish" While it's my least favorite of the 3 realms it's still fun to play. Most classes were fun but I'd avoid playing a Hero, choose the Champion and get a few spells instead. The enchanter is also a pretty nifty class that gets overlooked a bit. Albion is the human land and while it's areas and classes are some of the best it still sits second with me. They've got a good mix of aspects but I'd avoid some of the support classes until you've tried something else. Both magic and melee classes work well but perhaps the Scout, an archer is the best. I'd again avoid a pure melee class and go with one that has a few spell add ons (or at least the highest possible armor if you're going pure melee) Midgard is easily my favorite realm. I love it's stark land and all the lakes that you come across. The players are the most visualy distinctive with just one human race, 2 small races (blue kobolds and little dwarves...and I have to say those litttle dwarf girls are cute!) and one giant race of trolls (the look very little like 'standard' fantasy trolls more like big rocks.) Each has it's advantages. I've played several troll melees and just love the way they look and move. Here I'd avoid the Berzerker and go with the very flexible hybrid fighters. I'd also avoid healers for Shaman. The healer is just a bit to easy to kill and even in realm combat the less group oriented shaman is needed because he's just a bit more likely to be around at the end of an attack. While billed as the darkest of the realms I actually find that Midgard players tend to be friendly and ready to help out new players even more often than the other realms. Hibernia seems to attract the 'power players' who's main goal selfish advancement. A bad strategy when they enter realm wars and find that solo tactics lose to the better coordinated teams. This is easily the most fun I've had playing computer games in my life. This is a must have game if there ever was one!
Rating:
Summary: If you play EQ, your EQ days are over.
Review: As an avid EQ player, I must say DAoC blows it out of the water. The graphics are phenomenal, the quests are a blast, very user friendly, the PvP has been well thought and controlled, I can go on and on. This is a definite game to buy!
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