Official Site: http://tera.enmasse.com/
Source: Youtube Channel onrpg
I heard about TERA Online 4-5 years ago, saw it at E3 2010 and signed up for Beta 2 years ago, and finally just this past weekend I got to participate in the open beta testing. TERA Online boasts itself for being the first true "Action-RPG" MMO experience. I've tried many self-proclaimed "Action-RPG" MMOs but only ended up with another variation of the point-n-click RPG that has been used since the Ultima Online days, but for once I was not disappointed. Rather than click with a mouse pointer, the game is played much like an action-adventure game or third-person shooter where WASD keys moves the character while the mouse controls the camera and aiming reticle. By default, the left-mouse click is the standard attack while the right-mouse click is a sort of evasive maneuver. So if the player isn't facing an enemy or aiming where the enemy is at, their attacks will miss. Special skills are more than just extra damage and require panning the aim reticle, charging the skill, or choosing where the attacks will land. You can watch videos or read about the game, but the experience can't be understood unless played by the player and having a feel for the mechanics.
The first thing I notice right away when logging in the game was how graphic intensive the game was. The environments are incredibly beautiful, the characters are very pretty (though a lot of the male characters were generic and boring), the weapon effects were flashy and had nice feedback on attacks, the quests had a nice flow to them, and most of the voice acting was decent (I remember one guy acted out line that was horrible and out of character). Sadly, the soundtrack didn't really have anything outstanding that I could remember. This generally doesn't affect anyone's experience with a game (especially when a lot of people play their own music when playing an MMO), but I like it when a game has memorable music as it's a good way to remind me of a game and draws me back to it if it's so good that I just want to listen to it. Still, the gameplay captivated me and I had a lot of fun fighting 10-30 enemies at once and still coming out alive. The game mechanics allowed me to be strategic about approaching a fight, utilize skills to avoid getting hit and fighting multiple enemies at the same time, and enables me to do more than just mash buttons for more damage. The ability to dodge enemy attacks is FINALLY starting to be implemented more into so called "Action-RPGs" and it's a welcome addition to the gameplay (just like with blocking). One other mechanic that surprised me was being able to group harvest. If you're in a party with another player, you can gather flowers, minerals, and essence at the same time and it would increase the speed of gathering with all players getting their share and even cheering together at the same time. PvP would also be a very interesting aspect (I didn't get to try a real PvP mode but did do a duel) as players can't auto-lock other players and require positioning and aiming. In short, I really enjoyed the game from what I played. The game is set to launch on May 1st, 2012 and will require a monthly subscription. Click on the top link for more information on TERA Online.
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