Vanguard: Saga of Heroes Reviews

A handful of new reviews for Sigil Games' Vanguard: Saga of Heroes surfaced on the 'net over this past weekend. The first is at PALGN with an overall score of 6.5/10:
Overall, Vanguard has the ability to offer a reasonably decent Massively Multiplayer experience. Unfortunately, it has not managed to create anything nearly as compelling as the developers quite obviously had hoped for. Much of what is in the game is rehashed material from the genre. Although these, along with the elements previously unseen in MMORPGs, do add somewhat in multiple ways to the game, at its core, Vanguard is still held back by the same things that hold back other MMORPGs - that is, trying to climb out of their slowly stagnating pool and move forward. The issue with this is that the nature of the genre only allows for a couple of these games to be played by a single player due to the time they chew up. Due to this fact Vanguard: Saga of Heroes may be something that those heavily into the genre, or those looking for something based on an original IP with a new world, might want to jump into. Those currently content with whatever MMORPG they're playing, may want to wait until they desire new lands to explore, or at least until some of the initial bugs are ironed out, before setting out to explore the lands of Telon.

The second is at 1Up with an overall score of 3.0/10:
That the game got shoved out the door too early is an indisputable fact, explained by executive producer (and ex-EQ1 mastermind) Brad McQuaid ) as due to "financial necessity." The result does an injustice to both the game and the players who anticipated it for so long. SOE's increasingly routine practice of buying troubled MMOs and hustling them out to turn some kind of profit ASAP may arguably have rescued Vanguard from oblivion -- but it resulted in a game that desperately needed another six months of beta-testing.

The third is at Jolt Online Gaming with an overall score of 7.4/10:
While we can't look into the future to predict how Vanguard will turn out over the coming months, the early signs are promising that this could be more than just the real next generation of Everquest. It's a shame that you need a Mutz Nutz PC to run it, but give it a few months and this could be the reason for you to buy a new one. At last, then, a hardcore MMO with genuine depth and ambition.

The fourth is at Strategy Informer with an overall score of 6.3/10:
Overall Vanguard isn't a bad game, but it doesn't really bring anything new to the table of the MMO industry. While there are many races and classes to choose from, they seem to be variations on the standard theme of fighter, magic user, healer and rogue. The progression is heavily quest based and doesn't leave a lot of room for doing much if you want to progress in levels at any kind of efficient speed. Unfortunately also the story seems to be lacking and doesn't give much in the way of explaining your existence in this lovely world that your character calls home, and that is a shame. The future for Vanguard could be a bright one if Sigil continues down this road of constant development and improvement.

And the fifth is at Play.tm with an overall score of 81%:
Overall, I have enjoyed the time I have spent so far in the world of Telon and intend to see how Vanguard progresses. Even though the game has its annoyances (like the steep death penalty you have to endure) it's a very accomplished title with a lot of rewards for a dedicated player. Yes, it takes time to get to a good level and to find a good group of players to meet up with, but with the prospect of flying mounts and houses later on in the game as well as content updates in the future ensures there are many reasons to own this game. It's hard however to recommend it to casual players as they will be put off by it's difficulty early on, however if you were a fan of Everquest and find World of Warcraft to be on the easy side then Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is certainly a game you should consider trying.