The physics engine is fairly unique in this game- unique in
that it is almost completely accurate to real physics. You let go of an object
and it’ll fall. You throw it at the wall and it will bounce off with equal
force and in the opposite direction of the way it was thrown. Objects will not ‘rag-doll’
if left alone, and will retain the same inertia wherever they are. The graphics
are also amazing; they are lifelike and can be altered in real-time by contact
or other forces. Texture pop-in is almost absent however if you spin around for
too long you can be affected by a bad case of motion blur for a few seconds.
World
design is absolutely fantastic, and arguably the main draw of the game. In one
life you can explore beautiful vistas, gigantic oceans, roaring volcanoes,
towering mountains and abandoned ruins. There are even rumours that an upcoming
expansion will allow travel to other planets, a direction only explored by
in-game films, games and novels.
One
major gripe I have is that loading times can be a hell of a problem. On average
the game requires around 7-10 hours of loading time per day. Most players opt
to load at the same time at night-time yet there are different events which
could occur in a loss of loading time. If this happens, the game is unfocused
and laggy until you load properly. This can be a major problem if time or
access does not permit loading in a suitable location.
Another
problem is the pacing of the game. While on overview a life can seem full of
activities and things to do, the minute-by-minute breakdown of a day can be incredibly
dull with too much time spent doing nothing. When interesting events do come
along it is never for a very long time, made more frustrating by the way when
they do come along your game automatically messes up most opportunities
offered. I’m not sure if this is a bug or just a personality issue, but it
needs to be fixed.
Overall,
this game is a work of art. There is so much to see and do that no-one could get
100% completion, even if they tried. It is updated continually and its
impressive life-span is just a testament to the on-going power of progress, both
in the game and in life itself.
Conclusive
Verdict: 4/5
+Detailed and expansive world
-Some
irritating bugs still need to be removed.
Tom Bedford hopes you enjoyed this all. 16/10/2013 16:26
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