Rating: 
Summary: Great expansion, I guess, well, maybe... not
Review: AO is an excellent game and one in a world that I love. I was really truly looking forward to the Shadowlands because I'd hoped it would add more high end content, "raids" if you will. The sort of thing you don't do on a weeknight, but do on a weekend when you can spend oodles of time and really get a good group together.Well, Shadowlands isn't it. And frankly, Shadowlands isn't a whole lot of fun. The new playfields are gorgeous, there's no doubt of that. The concept is fascinating. The storyline is actually interesting! What the heck happened?! The execution leaves a lot to be desired. This is really one large adventure, meant to be played in a linear fashion as one levels up. But there aren't enough creatures for everyone who wants to advance within the Shadowlands to advance and the quests are, well, dull and annoying. Mostly they involve killing things repeatedly hoping for a quest drop and then running around -- and we're talking 15-30 minutes of running for each step, usually followed by running back to where you started. The quests break one of the best rules of thumb for determining when a quest is too long: if you kill yourself because the xp you lose is better than having to go through the run back, then the quest is way too tedious. To a great extent Shadowlands takes many of the worst elements of Everquest and adds them to the game. While at the same time, I've yet to see anything that mirrors the kind of raiding game that EQ had. Meanwhile, EQ adds missions, an addition to the gaming world that started in AO and which AO got right. In the end, there is a lot of territory in the Shadowlands. And there's a lot to do. But it could have been so much more.
Rating: 
Summary: Shadowlands fails to deliver
Review: AO's latest expansion was hyped to be a game-changing, evolutionary masterpiece from Funcom, a company who was attempting to gain the image of being a competent software publisher. Sadly, they fell far short of the mark, and many players' faith in Funcom fell down the drain with it. Good things about Shadowlands: - Zones (think: Worlds) look pretty. - New creatures look pretty. Bad things about Shadowlands: - Entire expansion is quest orientated, and just about every quest involves mindlessly slaying creatures until you find the items needed, or slaying the same creature over and over waiting for him to drop a certain quest item. Not to mention the competition around these creatures from other players and groups. - There are bugs, bugs, bugs, and more bugs. People get stuck often. People "fall" off of Shadowlands and land back on Rubi-Ka (sometimes into enemy territory). - Some quests do not work. It's hard to be specific but there are a lot of quests that simply do not work, and block access to proceeding to the next "level" of Shadowlands. - Every measure was taken to ensure that players who do not purchase Shadowlands will be unable to compete with players who did. Items require you to own Shadowlands before equipping them, there is a new "perk" system that gives big bonuses to stats which people who lack Shadowlands can not access. People should buy an expansion because they want a quality extension of a proven game, not because they are forced to by design from the ground up. This expansion has all the traits of a rushed release by a company who is barely hanging on. I, and many other players, are very disappointed with the status quo and outraged by how hyped this expansion was. We can only hope that Funcom follows it's model of release-first, fix-later, and has everything at least halfway decent within 3 or 4 months. My advice: wait 6 months for Funcom to fix AO.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your money
Review: Do not be fooled by the 7 day trial. Shadowland is good for the first 7 day and after you actually pay for the game / month you will find youself annoyed and frustrated at the gameplay. The quests later on requires you to kill monster that are lower lvl then you are, yet you need a full team to kill them. It wouldn't be such a bad thing is there were enough people on the game to actually team with to complete the quest. It will take you 3 hours to just find a team, and 30 minute to actually atempt it and get frustrated and have people just leave the team and be stuck in the same area. Shadowland is more for the highest level people from the original game with 100+ million credit and all have the top notch armors.(if you start from scratch it will take you days to even get 50 thousand credits). Do not be fooled with the trial and never purchase the bulk 1 year contact to save money, beacuse you will regret it. If you do not believe me check out the offical forums, it is filled with people complaning and the moderators shutting down the threads.
Rating: 
Summary: Gorgeous Gaming
Review: Finally a game for those who don't want to run through bleak corridors shooting things! This game does offer some traditional "dungeons" full of monsters to kill, but that's only a minor aspect! I am not a great gamer- I am usually getting shot in the back of the head while spinning around trying to figure out who is killing me- but this game provides a completely different experience! First, players are not "ambushed" constantly- player vs player combat is kept to a few specially designated areas and arenas.- there are confrontations- but also many non-combat areas- beautiful lush scenery- night skies full of stars, fabtastic architecture, mind- blowing alien life forms that range fom demonic beasts to whimsical unicorn like "silvertails" and cute cuddly "leets".I love to explore, and this game offers so many different landscapes I haven't even scratched the surface! There is also a fascinating storyline including a floating city in a split-off dimension full of ancient secrets and a struggle between "good" and "evil"that allows you to create a highly individual character and develop it in thousands of unique ways. The learning curve is a bit steep at first- I reccomend the official forums for "newbie" guides. The online community is friendly and appealing to men and women alike. This is the first online game that my girlfriend has really enjoyed! Women charactors in anarchy online play vital roles, not just as "scenery" or npc's. If you are looking for something different in online gaming- with plenty to explore and people to interact with minus the constant combat- look no further!
Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous Gaming
Review: Finally a game for those who don't want to run through bleak corridors shooting things! This game does offer some traditional "dungeons" full of monsters to kill, but that's only a minor aspect! I am not a great gamer- I am usually getting shot in the back of the head while spinning around trying to figure out who is killing me- but this game provides a completely different experience! First, players are not "ambushed" constantly- player vs player combat is kept to a few specially designated areas and arenas.- there are confrontations- but also many non-combat areas- beautiful lush scenery- night skies full of stars, fabtastic architecture, mind- blowing alien life forms that range fom demonic beasts to whimsical unicorn like "silvertails" and cute cuddly "leets".I love to explore, and this game offers so many different landscapes I haven't even scratched the surface! There is also a fascinating storyline including a floating city in a split-off dimension full of ancient secrets and a struggle between "good" and "evil"that allows you to create a highly individual character and develop it in thousands of unique ways. The learning curve is a bit steep at first- I reccomend the official forums for "newbie" guides. The online community is friendly and appealing to men and women alike. This is the first online game that my girlfriend has really enjoyed! Women charactors in anarchy online play vital roles, not just as "scenery" or npc's. If you are looking for something different in online gaming- with plenty to explore and people to interact with minus the constant combat- look no further!
Rating: 
Summary: From veteran AO player
Review: I played AO for 2 years before Shadowlands Expansion Pack came out. The game, by itself, is one of the best on the market but IMO Shadowlands ruined the fun in the game.
AO is an item based game. In another words, to be good, you need good items. With a current drop rate on some of very good weapons, it might take you weeks to get it if you are unlucky. The droprate is like 2-5% on a mob with respawn time of 25 minutes. Basically, SL made AO a camping game. (Personally I camped one monster for 35-36 hours with no luck)
The adventuring part in SL is boring. How long can you look at beautiful graphics? Day? Two? Monsters there are very hard and you will have problems killing them even if they are your level or even lower. Since most of the items that are good for your level drop from SL monsters, you wont be able to get them until you are higher level and they become useless to you. Or on other hand, you can buy them for over inflated prices.
This brings me to another big issue SL brought to the game. SL ruined the games economy. Relatively easy cash income from hecklers (monsters in shadowlands), inflated the prices beyond believe. The thing is though, you will have to find a team to kill them because they are too hard to solo them. Finding a team might take from 2 mins to 2 hours... Only high level characters can solo kill them with a good gear.
If you are a new player and have not ebayed money, you pretty much wont be able to get a good gear or weapons until you raise your first character to 200 or more.
On the positive side: yeah, graphics is beautiful and FunCom added static quests for garden keys. Plus, AO is a great place to make new friends.
I would recommend to wait for the next expansion (Alien Invasion) to come out before trying out this game.
Rating:
Summary: Anarchy Online proves to be good..
Review: People have constantly called Anarchy Online (AO) the mini-Everquest. Shadowlands, the most recent AO expansion and sequel to the Notum Wars, has proven critics of this game quite wrong. The landscapes are breathtaking, the two new classes of Shade and Keeper and the new levelcap (max level one can reach) of 220 make things even more entertaining to both newbies of the game, and seasoned veterans of this 2 year old+ MMORPG. I reccomend it to anyone and everyone who is an MMORPG fan, as it's a great addition to anyone's Anarchy Online account.
Rating: 
Summary: INCREASE YOUR POWER!! (Evil laughter here)!
Review: This is one of the most interesting expansions to one of the most fun instant messenging platforms I have ever seen. Oh wait, it's adding more to the game that the instant messenging platform was based on. This expansion adds a whole new (very pretty) world to the game half of Anarchy Online, making it now interesting for gamers, social people, and action fans instead of just social people and gamers. If you do not have this expansion, you will be without some of the new must-haves of Anarchy Online, such as perks, wich allow you to boost attributes in specific fields of your choice. One of the selling points for Anarchy Online was the ability to create and customize a character based on what YOU (and not some faceless corporation) wanted your character to be, wether that be a tank with legs, bullet dodger, lifegiver, area blaster, sniper, swordsman, computer hacker, money maker, or whatever other type of character you want to be. This expansion even furthers this ability. Also note: Funcom is coming out with another expansion for this priceless game. It will be called 'Alien Invasion', and it looks like another must have expansion for all players of this great game. I know amazon.com is going to hate me for listing competion, but you can download both the original game and the expansion for cheaper. But I'm also going to be fair and list reasons to or not to do this. You should do this if you don't want to wait for delivery, have a CD burner so you can make a backup copy so you won't have to pay all that money again if you have to format your computer (BACKUP COPY! NOT COPY FOR YOUR FRIENDS!), and a good enough connection to download the game (But then again if you dont have a good enough connection to download the game in 10 hours or less, you probably don't have a good enough connection to actually play it either). You should buy this off amazon.com if you don't have a CD player and are willing to wait a few days or a week for delivery. I chose download since I have a CD burner (wich you can also buy off of Amazon.com), but according to a friend (in the game) that bought this game from amazon.com, Funcom fails to enclose a decent instruction manual, so if you find yourself embarassed at your computer skills, higher the nearest nerd to install this for you or try to figure it out for yourself. Also note: everybody is going to get stuck in the scenery at least once or twice through the game. Do not panic, delete your character, and start over. Just sit down and type /stuck to get out.
Rating:
Summary: Shadowlands is much more than an expansion
Review: Tired of expansion packs that just add gameplay content but no substance? Most expansions exist for the sole purpose of creating more timesinks for users to waste time and thus earn the company money. Shadowlands however is much more than an expansion pack. Firstly, Shadowlands (SL) adds a great variety of gameplay elements. In addition to the thousands of pieces of new equipment, players are greeted with new and diverse playfields to explore, new classes, additional options for existing classes, and added storyline fluff. The new playfields are lush and very different from the normal planet of Rubi-Ka. From the training grounds to the deepest pits of Inferno players will be amazed by the new terrain and added effects. New creatures both mundane and bizarre roam the world. Players are free to explore the new Shadow realm and see many delightful landmarks, just as in the original AO. The skyline is dominated by the vortex and while the graphics aren't as good as newer MMORPGs, they still hold their own. Two new classes, the shade and the keeper, appear in the Shadowlands to offer their support to the never ending battle between the Clans and Omni-Tek. The shade is a master of stealth and soul-stealing. They are able to drain life from their victims and use it to increase their own power. They wear no armor and don't use implants but instead use the souls of victims to boost their power (much like implants) and wear mystic tattoos for protection. Keepers are more like support tanks. They can take quite a few hits and do decent damage themselves, but their real bonus lies in their nanos where they can support teams very well. They have hit point regenerators and team AC buffs, and team damage buffs. They also have quite a few other buffs that aren't for team but could be cast on others (like a strength and stamina +50 buff). Although don't be surprised when you have to go use the bathroom and shower and fix yourself dinner in order to make the casting time go by quicker. For existing classes (and the new ones as well), Perks have been introduced. Perks are a way to customize your character even more by concentrating on certain paths. These paths give all sorts of bonuses from new attacks, to bonus hit points, to skill increases. Some of these attacks can be used with those of other classes to provide for some really deadly team attacks. Ever feel that your Engineer doesn't have enough hit points? Well train the Boosted DNA perk and you will get more hit points! The game also adds a variety of other gameplay additions to the Anarchy Online. A faction system has been implemented and while only affecting the Shadowlands, Funcom has stated they may one day expand that into Rubi-Ka. By gaining a positive standing with one faction you can go on side-specific quests. Also the faction system determines what your shadowbreed will be. Shadowbreeds are a reflection of your soul and are only unlockable in the shadowlands. Lastly, to explore shadowbreeds Funcom has raised the level cap from 200 to 220. Many people won't reach these heights, but it gives all players something to aspire to. What makes Anarchy Online unique is the lush background and story that drives the game. Every few days you will see posts from funcom about events that happened in the world as well as a storyline development. These may be subtle behind the scenes sort of happenings or something active in the world. However you look at it, this is leaps and bounds above any other MMORPGs. If you have never tried Anarchy Online before, Shadowlands would be a great start. It provides you with everything you need as well as plenty of content to sink your teeth into. If you are already playing Anarchy, then go out and purchase Shadowlands as you will not be disappointed. All of the new elements and extended story are worth what you are paying for. If you need any help in-game I can be reached on the Atlantean server by doing a /tell Renso in the chat bar.
Rating:
Summary: Shadowlands is much more than an expansion
Review: Tired of expansion packs that just add gameplay content but no substance? Most expansions exist for the sole purpose of creating more timesinks for users to waste time and thus earn the company money. Shadowlands however is much more than an expansion pack. Firstly, Shadowlands (SL) adds a great variety of gameplay elements. In addition to the thousands of pieces of new equipment, players are greeted with new and diverse playfields to explore, new classes, additional options for existing classes, and added storyline fluff. The new playfields are lush and very different from the normal planet of Rubi-Ka. From the training grounds to the deepest pits of Inferno players will be amazed by the new terrain and added effects. New creatures both mundane and bizarre roam the world. Players are free to explore the new Shadow realm and see many delightful landmarks, just as in the original AO. The skyline is dominated by the vortex and while the graphics aren't as good as newer MMORPGs, they still hold their own. Two new classes, the shade and the keeper, appear in the Shadowlands to offer their support to the never ending battle between the Clans and Omni-Tek. The shade is a master of stealth and soul-stealing. They are able to drain life from their victims and use it to increase their own power. They wear no armor and don't use implants but instead use the souls of victims to boost their power (much like implants) and wear mystic tattoos for protection. Keepers are more like support tanks. They can take quite a few hits and do decent damage themselves, but their real bonus lies in their nanos where they can support teams very well. They have hit point regenerators and team AC buffs, and team damage buffs. They also have quite a few other buffs that aren't for team but could be cast on others (like a strength and stamina +50 buff). Although don't be surprised when you have to go use the bathroom and shower and fix yourself dinner in order to make the casting time go by quicker. For existing classes (and the new ones as well), Perks have been introduced. Perks are a way to customize your character even more by concentrating on certain paths. These paths give all sorts of bonuses from new attacks, to bonus hit points, to skill increases. Some of these attacks can be used with those of other classes to provide for some really deadly team attacks. Ever feel that your Engineer doesn't have enough hit points? Well train the Boosted DNA perk and you will get more hit points! The game also adds a variety of other gameplay additions to the Anarchy Online. A faction system has been implemented and while only affecting the Shadowlands, Funcom has stated they may one day expand that into Rubi-Ka. By gaining a positive standing with one faction you can go on side-specific quests. Also the faction system determines what your shadowbreed will be. Shadowbreeds are a reflection of your soul and are only unlockable in the shadowlands. Lastly, to explore shadowbreeds Funcom has raised the level cap from 200 to 220. Many people won't reach these heights, but it gives all players something to aspire to. What makes Anarchy Online unique is the lush background and story that drives the game. Every few days you will see posts from funcom about events that happened in the world as well as a storyline development. These may be subtle behind the scenes sort of happenings or something active in the world. However you look at it, this is leaps and bounds above any other MMORPGs. If you have never tried Anarchy Online before, Shadowlands would be a great start. It provides you with everything you need as well as plenty of content to sink your teeth into. If you are already playing Anarchy, then go out and purchase Shadowlands as you will not be disappointed. All of the new elements and extended story are worth what you are paying for. If you need any help in-game I can be reached on the Atlantean server by doing a /tell Renso in the chat bar.
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