When Anarchy Online was released back in June of 2001, it was the first graphical MMORPG to depart from the medieval fantasy theme and offer a science fiction based adventure full of laser guns and high-tech brain implants. As is often the case with persistent online worlds, it got off to a to a rough start with more than its share of technical problems, but eventually developed a large and dedicated user base. Since then the game has grown through the Notum Wars "booster" pack, which added a variety of sophisticated player vs. player elements, and most recently, the Shadowlands expansion pack, which opens up a vast new realm for exploration.

Without getting into all the details, the story involves a factionalized planet in the distant future, where a corporation called Omni-Tek mines Notum, an extremely valuable element required for the manufacture of nanotechnology. Omni-Tek has treated its laborer force very badly, so they've revolted and formed the Clan, a group determined to see the end of Omni-Tek power. The story certainly isn't lacking in depth, and has even been developed into a novel called "Prophet Without Honour" by Ragnar Tørnquist.

Characters
Character creation is a simple enough process that begins with selecting a gender and breed, as there are 4 types of humans on the planet Rubi-Ka in the year 28702. Most of the population is Solitus, a relatively normal and flexible breed. Opifex are slightly smaller, more agile, halfling-like humans. Nano are a physically weaker breed with powerful nano-wizardry abilities, and Atrox are large, strong, androgynous grunts.

You choose your appearance from a reasonably large collection of pre-designed heads, and you can make a few adjustments to your height and build. It's nothing special and doesn't really compare to the level of customization available in some games, but it gets the job done.

When you're happy with your look, you must decide on a profession. Professions are similar to classes, and range from Soldier to Bureaucrat to Nano-Technician. Along with the 12 original professions, Shadowlands offers 2 new professions; Keeper and Shade. Keepers are reminiscent of Paladins, and Shades have quite a bit in common with Assassins. While you might start out with certain obvious similarities to other characters, there are enough items and skills in the game to ensure that everyone gets more unique over time.

Gameplay
For the most part, AO adheres to the standard MMORPG formula. Expect to be killing a lot of monsters, gaining levels, trading equipment, doing missions, healing other players, and so forth. You can solo, you can group, or you can fight other players for territorial domination. Unlike some MMORPGs, AO makes all of this is available no matter which server you choose to play on.

Shadowlands Screenshots

The Shadowlands expansion features a linear progression through a series of 7 distinct areas which get progressively more difficult. Players make their way through lush green forests, frozen ice peaks, scorched wastelands, and even an underwater zone which requires breathing apparatus to explore. Naturally, this will culminate in some extremely challenging mobs geared toward groups of high level characters in an area aptly called 'Pandemonium.'

Taking such a linear approach can be a little risky. A common problem in MMORPGs is that certain monsters essential to the completion of a quest, for example, will be so highly sought after that players will form queues for a chance to kill them. In some cases it will take a half hour or more for the monster to respawn, or worse, a particular mob might be camped by a guild which has decided to effectively lock everyone else out.

Shadowlands does make an effort to address this problem by allowing characters to purchase "blueprints" of certain boss monsters which can be used to summon the monster at a place and time of the player's choosing. It's a clever idea, but really only a solution at higher levels. With a surge of players currently going the newbie zones, you can easily find yourself standing around waiting for a particular monster to spawn in order to complete a rather generic mission that is required to advance to the next area. Curiously, they are creating some problems with this expansion that expansions for other games, such as Lost Dungeons of Norrath for EverQuest, are specifically designed to correct.

Combat involves selecting a target and repeatedly pushing the usual array of customizable attack and heal buttons on your shortcut bar. It's not without quirks, most notably that melee weapons such as knives and axes will hit at totally unbelievable distances. At times I find myself wondering if I'm not actually using a ranged weapon, but monsters will also frequently take a swing at you from 20 yards away and do damage. If you're paying attention, you will also notice that projectiles that clearly appear to miss their targets still sometimes score hits and vise versa. It's something that experienced AO players seem to have grown accustomed to.

There's a vibrant social layer to the game. At times nightclubs in some of the cities fill with dancing cyber-punk avatars swilling virtual drinks. Perhaps not the most entertaining part of the game, but an unusual sight just the same. The world's inhabitants are about as friendly as any you will find in a MMORPG, and there always seems to be someone around willing to help newcomers out with a little advice or some free gear.