Reviews: Eve Online

Eve-Online (PC)

DEVELOPER: CCP
FORMAT: PC
GENRE: Space MMORPG

In space no one can hear you scream, let alone your polite request for assistance. And with the steep learning curve here, you'll need any help you can get. Eve Online is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) set in space.

Has the gaming dream of an online Elite finally come to fruition? In many ways yes. Eve Online is a highly ambitious gaming endeavour, let down by some clumsy interface deficiencies, including poorly designed and unintuitive icons. Luckily the game itself is worth persevering with.

Staring off with a puny craft, your first challenge is to raise some much-needed upgrade cash. This can be done by running errands, trading or finding a helpful fellow pilot. The beauty of Eve Online is that you can do pretty much anything. Fancy flying solo, hunting for lost cargo ships? How about some interplanetary mining? There are no totally safe areas though, so some combat skills are necessary. Combat does rely on tactics rather than reflex, although a rough "is his ship bigger than mine" rule of thumb usually works.

As you progress your character grows, learning skills and allowing you access to better-equipped ships. At the same time, you may want to join, or form, a corporation. These groups offer help, money and a common cause. Yes, there is a plot too, with four factions fighting tooth and nail.

Sadly, as with every MMORPG, there are technical barriers. Hefty patches need to be downloaded and crashes are fairly common. For newcomers Eve Online can be harsh and unforgiving environment, with death a regular occurrence. But once you get proficient, and your allegiance to your alien alter ego grows, you can kiss goodbye to your social life.

Greg Howson