ArchLord review

It sounded like a good idea. Just read our preview. An MMORPG in which you could literally become the ruler of the game world by achieving victory? It's brilliant.

Unfortunately, while the early adopting hardcore players who earnestly defend the game will disagree, ArchLord crashes hard during the leap from idea to execution, and fails to engage on any level. The core game demands operating in a group, always, since the large and largely inexplicable hordes of enemies that litter the landscape make almost any solo play experience impossible.

Even with a good group, grinding away for levels and items is the core of the gameplay system, and the non-optional player-vs-player elements add a healthy dash of frustration and impotent rage. It's not a good time, and it costs fifteen bucks a month.

Okay. You could conceivably say that complaining about level grinding is like complaining about the very nature of MMO games - they're all basically level grinders. However, in this case, the ratio of work to fun is way off, even for those social souls who don't mind being forced to party up or die.