I'm from Norway and I've been a gamer for 15 years. I used to play a different game or two every month until I discovered Dark Age of Camelot about 3.5 years ago. Then I totally stopped playing other games, it was no longer need for other games, because I had found the ultimate game.
Step into the virtual reality world of Camelot, and choose your side at the war between Midgard, Albion and Hibernia. In Hibernia, which is now called Ireland, you will find nature and magic hand in hand. It's where the Elves live and all sorts of magical creatures, and it's also where the pagan Celts have settled. If you join the Hibernians you can for example become a powerful eldritch, enchanter or perhaps a blade master or a ranger. If not then you have Albion, Britain, the land of the Christians, the realm of King Arthur after his death where the powerful magic of Merlin dwells. In Albion you can become a wizard, sorcerer, paladin or armsman among other possibilities. Else you can join my realm and the vikings of Midgard, in the cold and barbaric North also known as Scandinavia where the Norsemen, Dwarfs and Trolls live. Then you will become a berserker, valkyrie, thane or rune master for example.
We fight huge battles over land, controlled by fortresses and outposts, and there are many ways to participate. Either you can be a master of shadows and lurk around hidden to spy on your enemies or kill them when they least expect it, or you can destroy walls and towers with a trebouchet and knock down the gate with your hammer. Also you can run around with a group to hunt reinforcements or other groups. Actually fights can take place anywhere in the frontier, be it on a bridge, in the water, on a hillside or inside a castle. If you prefer solo combat, you can challenge some of the other realms' finest champions for a duel, or if you're more of a pacifist you can always fight computer controlled monsters instead and leave the war to someone else. There are also a lot of quests if you get tired of the fighting, and there are many dragons that require you to bring an army if you want to have a chance. Also a lot of other monsters that are equally powerful in many different places. You can become a crafter or trader, for armour or weapons, and sell them in the player market. You can get rich and buy a mansion where you can put all your trophies and special equipment, or form your own guild or even create your own alliance.
The graphics are very realistic for a computer game, unlike mostly anything out there, and you can create a character that looks almost like yourself. The stories told in the various quests are based on the true mythologies of the realm you choose, so in Midgard the quests are based on the Norse mythology and you will learn a lot about viking history and belief. The worlds are huge, and you can travel far to distant places like Atlantis, and visit the underworlds with a labyrinth which is the largest dungeon ever seen in any game by far. There's a lot of other dungeons too, and each is unique in size and art.
This game is so huge I didn't know where to start, and I don't know where to end. What I've told you so far is very little, after playing this game for more than 3.5 years there's still a lot of places that I haven't yet discovered and a lot of things I haven't done. And that's only in Midgard, still most of Albion and Hibernia is totally undiscovered and unknown to me. The game evolves and there's a new expansion every year with new content and new lands to explore. I give this game 10/10, and no other games comes close to that rating in my book.
Kimkasper, Viking Skald of the realm rank 9.
