Purge

Purge is not a name that many would think of for a game, but it is. An online game set in the distant future, this game is a battle between science and religion. It is a time when androids and cyborgs are the fighting forces and rulers of the day. Those who are fighting on the religious side, the Chosen, feel they are the ones to rid the world of the mechanical humanoids, the Order.

There are eight pre-made characters to chose from, all having their own strengths and weaknesses. The Order has an Android, Commando, Cyborg and Wastelander. Each are superior combat units which specialize in different fields of military might. The Chosen characters are the Mage, Assassin, Fighter and Monk. The Chosen are humans with some supernatural powers, and primitive weapons. Throughout the game, you have to exploit your enemies weaknesses before they exploit yours.

Graphics are fairly consistent throughout the game. Being a First-Person/Role-Play game, the graphics are about as good as many of the games out today, although some of the items are too blocky. It would be nice to see a little more attention given to characters and their looks. They appear as if they need to be smoother and rounder.

You have the standard first-person shooter view in which to do everything from. This is the view that makes you see everything as if you are the character you are playing. This puts us up close and personal with the enemy. The layout is a bit different, but this will not cause any problems with game play. I do recommend that you learn the hot-keys for the game since there are not many displays that remain on your screen throughout the game. For those of you who like using night vision to help pinpoint your enemies, you have it along with extravision. Extravision is for the Chosen since they are not equiped with the cybernetics or goggles like what is found on the Order. Each allows better vision in the dark areas that you come across.

Game play is team oriented. You need to have good communication between your team members in order to succeed in the objective. Finding a team depends on what time you play. You must get into the prime gaming time for the present time in order to find teams.

Oh, updates, let me say that I am quite confused by what is posted on the Purge website. For the latest patch, it states, "You need a clean installation of Purge to apply the patch. Please try the following, if you have problems with the patch:
1. Uninstall Purge.
2. Reboot.
3. Delete everything remaining in the Purge directory. You may want to keep the files in your "/SAVE" directory if you want to save your Experience Points on the Persistence server.
4. Reinstall Purge from the CD.

Upon reading this, I was very upset to think that I would have to reinstall the game in order to play it. Instead of doing what they said, I just installed the patch. It seems to work so far, but I am not sure how long it will last. This is something that concerns me for future patches. Are we going to see more warnings to tell us to uninstall and reinstall the game just for a patch? Having played many other online games, this is the first that I have seen that wants this type of action taken.

Enough about that, let me give you some hints I have found to be useful. Learn the quick keys, and get in with a group. Being in a group will help you with the Role-Play aspect of leveling as well as making the game more enjoyable. Research the different roles available to play. If you don't care and just want to play for fun, this is not that big of deal. When you get into a team, make sure you know the game plan, especially if you join a game in progress.

Many of the things that I have just written are common sense to us all, but I think that they are important to repeat. With the game having not been out for a long time, there are going to be many advances in gameplay. This game has a lot of room for potential. Once more people catch on to it, this game can go far. Maybe with future patches, more weapons, classes and maps will be added as well as some nice modifications.

I look forward to what the future has in store for this game. I hope that some of the opinions given in the forums are given much heed.