malkiar79

While browsing RPG titles I spotted Asherons Call and had to create an account just to write how fondly I remember this wonderful game. Asherons Call was and I think still is the best RPG game ever made. The entire game was a free roaming world of exploration. Sure at level 1 rabbits could kill you, but with enough cunning and care you could actually traverse the forests between towns by tip toeing around the edges of banderling camps! I remember the excitement and fear of edging past, hoping I wouldn't alert the nasty creature 30 levels higher than me. You could play your character in entirely your own way. You weren't restricted to pre-conceived classes like mordern RPGs if you wanted to be a dagger wielding melee mage relying on magical shielding to help you last you could do just that. Every kill would give you xp and skill points. No waiting to level to spend your meager advancement. Your character scaled as you played real time. Finish a kill? Spend a point on melee defence for a few more dodges. I remember the first day creating a character and portalling into Holtburg. The community was buzzing, warm, open and friendly. Nothing like the level rushing, item hoarding online games of today. Many hours were spent just sitting in town chatting. If you didn't want to be part **** or community that was fine too. You could explore, survive and live in the wilderness all on your own. Finding swirling pink portals to dangerous dungeons filled with creative and interesting tunnels to explore. Some of the dungeons were so deep and dangerous that you were suddenly reminded; I ran 35 minutes to find this place. I am in the middle of nowhere. And I am alone.... If I die, I will reappear back at the damn lifestone I linked to in town. There were also the popular dungeons, crammed with other players. Backs to the wall to make full use of the shielding mechanics as the Lugians would pile in around you, blocking all escape. Better hope you don't fail on your first aid skill as wave after wave of carnage comes barreling in. Some fool unknowingly taunts a whole room and runs for his life past your corner of solace bringing in a whole new wave of death. How terrible was it to die, leaving a treasured item on your corpse deep deep within a dungeon. Would you risk travelling all the way back inside to retrieve it.... if you die, you might lose another item! Months spent hunting golems to collect pyreal motes questing to a volcanic forge to finally craft them into a legendary atlan weapon. Then spending more months questing for the elemental stones to empower your atlan even further... Not to mention shadow armor, mattecor coats or finally completing my mages armor set! :) I only have positives to say about this game. It will forever be in my memory as the most exciting and ground breaking rpg of it's day.