by Rick Charbs, Onrpg writer
RF Online was a highly popular game until it was shut-down permanently by its former host company. Now, RF has a completely new publisher, CCR INC, who is determined more than ever to bring you the best RF Online experience yet. The re-release of this game was a joyous event for many old players of the game, but I had had no prior experience in it myself.
Therefore, I joined without any certain expectations as to how the game was going to be, and to my surprise there were a great deal of players online. This review will explain my short-lived experience in the game, as well as my raw opinion of it.
General Gameplay
I am going to be very honest in stating that Rising Force Online (RF Online) has an extremely generic PvE aspect to the game. This game is all about PvP, and that is an understatement. With PvE being my preferred style of gaming in an MMORPG, this was not to my liking. There are three races, all fighting against one another, in a pretty large game world. One has a good amount of classes and weapons to choose from as well, making customization a little more possible (though you will see clones of your character once in a while). You also have many quests to complete in order to level up a little quicker and gain some rewards (as the game is a little on the grindy side), that quite conveniently turn in themselves once completed. An avid gamer would quickly notice that there is not much to learn until you reach the PvP aspect of the game, a much more extensively developed system… or should I say systems? If you are very competitive, this is a great way to show your expertise in the game, but the combat style is not very skill based. As far as I noticed, it was whoever who had played longest that had the advantage over the other. Once again, this was not something that kept me very interested, but it justified the game, as it is pretty old. To get to the more unique parts of the game, there are Chip Wars, which consist in race vs. race combat (usually extremely large scale), an extensive mining system, establishment territories (regions of the game owned by one or two guilds at once), an elaborate economy system (in which there are different tax rates for every race, as well as different currencies), Circle Zone Scrumble (PK system within a race), battle dungeons, and much more. Despite having overseen and overused systems and gameplay modes, RF Online still draws in the fans with its unique setting, context, and player versus player.
Graphics and Sound
Without being too impressive, the graphics in this MMO are pretty decent to say the least. Rarely do I play a 3D MMO without lag, and that was the case with RFO. I was smooth-sailing throughout the vast territories of the Bellato during my time in-game. I cannot say much wrong about the graphics, even if they were not very up to date. If you can get past the fact that they will not be next-gen, I think you will be satisfied. However, recolors and similar maps may be of annoyance to you. In the same order of things, in the sound department, I do not have much to add. The various sounds and music pieces were not bad, yet they were not great. Most of the time, I replaced the game’s sound with my own music, but the sound effects were not too obnoxious to keep on during a PvP battle, as was the background music. If you plan on grinding for over an hour however, I suggest you part with any sound until you are finished.
Personal Recommendation
As some of you may already know, I am no fan of PvP combat. My competitive spirit is next to nothing, and so fighting others to be the greatest has absolutely no value to me. On the other hand, a race vs. race battle can be pretty fun- which is something RF Online indefinitely accomplishes pretty nicely. Another thing I had noticed was the fact there were not many new players to RF in game, but rather players who were dedicated to the past versions of the game. This surely explains why the server is so populated whilst the game is not anything too amazing. Many players of the game are sentimentally attached, or simply loyal to the game. I am not saying the game is boring, only that you really have to enjoy PvP to want to play any longer than fifteen minutes. You have to be very dedicated and concentrated on your goal to be able to be worthy in combat. That means you may waste many hours of your day grinding away, which can be unhealthy for your physical and social status, and that is something I wanted to stay far clear from. For a more casual gamer that wants to play RF Online, be sure to team up with your friends as team levelling is much faster than solo levelling for most characters, if not every. I enjoyed some aspects of the game, such as the storyline, the unique context, the races, the race vs. race battles, and the fact I could play the game smoothly. I did not particularly enjoy the lame PvE combat, and the extensive grind needed to level. If you can see past those two faults, or they are not considered a fault on your end, then be sure to try out RF Online, as you will be hooked! Happy Gaming!
Pros
– Large community
– Great PvP combat as well as RvR
– Unique setting and context
Cons
– Few new players to the title
– Generic PvE combat
