Recent reviews by SouthpawHQ

I don't often leave reviews, but I felt compelled to do so for this game because of what it represents. It's a beautiful fusion of old-school CRPG elements with modern mechanics. If I had to critique one aspect of the game, it would be that many of the objectives and interactable items blend into the background too well. You'll need to get used to pressing the key assigned to reveal what is interactable on the map.

This was a worthy purchase, and I look forward to diving deeper into the game over the weekend.

To begin my review, I would like to make a general remark that I believe applies to Mortal Online 2. (MO2)

"MO2 is not for everyone; the gameplay is methodical, and the rulesets (particularly those pertaining to death) are ruthless in the sense that they exist solely to serve a single objective... to create a believable/living world for players"

Nave is a beautiful setting, a brutal world, and consequently the setting for some of the most daring/brave MMORPG design choices you will come across. No AAA studio would touch a sandbox game like MO2 because it is widely assumed that such a game would not be profitable enough to justify the expense... So, you should examine why Star Vault developed Mortal Online. The answer is that they care more about their vision for the ultimate sandbox experience than making design decisions based on what would bring in more money, and this mindset has carried over to MO2, which is a traditional subscription-based MMORPG rather than a free-to-play with a cash shop (Which to be profitable would have required many shop items that go against their vision for the game). Consider it this way: no F2P means no future P2W items in that hypothetical shop.

In a world where PvP is always enabled, every choice you make in MO2 matters, and I am telling you right now that the adrenaline of knowing danger lurks around every corner is a magnificent experience IF you can learn to appreciate the full-loot (drop everything on you) death mechanics. I implore anyone reading this review who thinks to themselves, "I can not play an MMORPG where I lose progress/gear," to give MO2 (or any MMO with full-loot death mechanics) a chance. If you can get past that mental roadblock, you might find a more rewarding experience in games where the world feels much more alive.

If you do decide to give the game a chance, here are some tips to get you started.

• Before you even start the game, do some research; your character's build influences a lot of what you will be strong at
• Join a guild as soon as possible; this is not a solo-friendly experience for a variety of reasons
• Do not leave the relative protection of cities/towns with gear or things you would not want to risk losing
• Communicate with those around you in-game
• Engage in PvP, you will only get better if you practice

While the game caters to a more hardcore/niche audience, I feel that everyone will find something to like in MO2 if they take the time to explore everything the game has to offer.

Worth the price of entry with a discount. Doubt I would pay full asking price for this title only because I just don't see it having "legs"; just not enough there to keep me interested long term unfortunately. I am writing this the day after release and I already don't really feel the game tugging me back in because as far as I am concerned I've already seen all this game has to offer.

* Maps are well designed, but limited.

* Vehicles are not used to great affect (Doesn't ever feel like you need them)

* They say there are 30+ guns... but I've only used 5 / 6 because each class only has 1 - 2 main options. Many of them "feel" the same.

You will get your moneys worth over time. Just don't expect this game to hold your interest over FPS games with more depth.

Imagine a universe where games could procreate much like we do. Now imagine Battlefield 4 and ARMA III had a baby. SQUAD would be the result of such a joining and what we have in EARLY ACCESS could be considered the infant years of what will eventually grow up to become a game that sits somewhere in the middle between an arcade FPS and a military simulation.

If that sounds good to you like it did me I suggest you pick up this diamond in the rough. While it still has a few jagged edges such as performance issues and missing features they eventually plan to add (Vehicles as an example) the game still holds up for an EARLY ACCESS release and is quite enjoyable if you go into it with the right mindset.

CPU: i7 2700K @ 4.5 (OC)
GPU: MSI GTX 980
RAM: 32 GB
G-SYNC Monitor (144Hz)

I only include the above to give context to what I am about to say about the performance of the game...

MIN FPS = 32
MAX FPS = 60

GRAPHICS = High
All NVIDIA features were disabled (I tried with them all ON and the fluxuations became worse)

I unlocked the FPS from 30 and my experience was that during gameplay it would fluxuate between the MIN and MAX FPS during combat (More so with the Batmobile involved). While moving about the city it would hold steady at 60 FPS until enemy AI would engage Batman.

Overall I find the graphics appealing, and in terms of combat it is what you would expect out of a Batman game and holds up to the previous titles in the series. I like what little I have played but I MAY hold off on playing it in the hopes of a patch that resolves some of the current performance issues.

I'm still glad I picked it up, however that being said I realize I have a fairly beefy system not everyone has the luxury of having and I am running the game better than most at the moment. For that reason and that reason alone I must NOT recommend this game. Simply put the developers got lazy with the port, IF and when these issues are resolved I will change my review to reflect said changes brought forth by the developers.

Seems confusing at first, but once you understand the crafting system there is logic behind it. If you like to build / explore this is a wonderful game even right at launch, plenty of grinding to do so that you can build yourself a base and possibly gear. I'm currently to the point where I can almost build a cabin / forge / tailor but not quite ready to build those setups.

I would complain that I need to craft things I don't need just to level up the skill... but that comes with the type of game this is and is unavoidable.

If you just want to be a pirate (Murderer) good luck doing so solo, you need someone to supply you with gear and if you don't want to spend the time like I am to grind up my crafting skills then you are in for a bad time.

Overall I am impressed, the only BIG problem at the moment is hit detection... sometimes the game decides that you are not hitting a creature / player when clearly you are or should be in range to do so.

This game still needs a lot of work, I'd highly suggest avoiding it until the developers get it to the point where it can be considered a competitive title such as CS:GO... which may takes months or a year even at the rate they are going. Should have never been released, it's even too early for an EA game.

You need to be into the type of game it is to enjoy it... and while my journey into the unknown has just begun I am excited to see where it takes me.

Lets get the negatives out of the way first....

- No Morgan Freeman (Just not the same without him narrating)
- Game SEEMS easier than earlier titles in the franchise

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I'm about 500+ turns into an EPIC length game on a MASSIVE map on what the game considered normal difficulty and on an advanced planet. I have yet to have an AI declare war on me despite them telling me they don't like me much countless times. I'm sitting at gaining +70 culture / 30+ Health / +60 Energy per turn with 5 cities, I have some military units but not many.

While I'm enjoying the experience I can't help but feel NORMAL difficulty in the previous games was harder, I can't put my finger on it. Needless to say I am still having fun and it is still very much a Civ game, worth picking up from GMG for roughly $35 with a 25% off code.

Generic FPS at its best, why someone would play this over something like CS:GO is beyond me. Movement is stuttery and there is nothing in this game that makes me want to continue playing. This was Uninstalled in under 30 minutes.