Our opinion on Lineage 2 and its gameplay
This second part of Lineage has impressive visuals and graphics. It is a true leader in the Korean MMORPG, with millions of active players across the globe.
Lineage 2 is first and foremost a medieval and fantasy universe. When you start the game, you will have to design your own character by first choosing a race/class, in order to make it evolve later on. Be careful with your initial choice, as this evolution is based on the class you choose.
In addition, the game world is designed in 3D. The terrain is extremely vast and composed of a single room. You will find villages, shops and dungeons. Another important point is that there is no loading screen, except for the one you get when you start the game.
As for the races, there are five in all: humans, elves, dark elves, orcs and dwarves.
The chosen character starts with race and class. Any enemy killed gives experience and SP (skill points). These give you the possibility to acquire skills specific to your character. Obviously, a skill requires a certain number of skill points in order to be acquired. Finally, the different skills are classified by level.
The main features of Lineage 2
In order to evaluate Lineage 2, we will take the following five points: The gameplay, the design, the soundtrack, the life span and the storyline.
- Playability: Lineage 2’s game interface is easy to learn. The tabs are easy to understand and allow for easy navigation through the menus. The shortcut bar is also extremely useful in many contexts. It allows you to avoid long searches. Battles are dynamic and give the possibility to be in the middle of the action. However, in comparison, the game’s variety is less than that of Final Fantasy 11, for example. Therefore, players looking for completeness may be a little disappointed.
- Design: The characters in Lineage 2 are much better animated than its predecessor Lineage: The Blood Pledge. The game design is directly inspired by the manga. The universe is dazzling and the architectural work is gigantic. Unquestionably, the atmosphere and graphics of Lineage 2 are its main strengths. Moreover, we will only regret the design, the textures and the display distance which are rather average.
- Soundtrack: The soundtrack is literally exceptional and epic in every way. For example, it may remind you of the Lord of the Rings trilogy as the various compositions are very qualitative and well done. As for the ambient sound effects, they are really well developed, as are the sound effects of the weapons.
- Lifespan: The title from the Korean company NCSoft offers the possibility to play for hours with your warrior. Thus, Lineage 2 will allow any player to play for many months. However, your class quest may seem endless even though you will continually encounter new peoples and new worlds.
- Storyline: Unfortunately, the storyline is rather classic and will hardly surprise the player. The main storyline is a plot by dark elves, who interfere in the community with the sole aim of unseating the current leaders.
Our conclusion on Lineage 2
Far from the level of a game like Everquest 2, Lineage 2 still holds the line with a hit like Final Fantasy 11 on the points of the universe and the graphics. Lineage 2 is above all a huge and varied world where you will feel totally at ease. The universe has a strong Asian design influence and a fabulous and pleasant atmosphere. However, if you’re looking for technological competition, you’ll have to pass.