Review: Runescape

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld once asked of his audience, "Why is McDonald's still counting? How insecure is this company? 40 million, 80 gillion... Is anyone really impressed anymore? Oh 89 billion sold... alright, I'll have one."

I guess you could say that was my approach to Runescape, recognized by the Guinness World Records as the world's largest free MMORPG. Over 200 million accounts created...alright, I'll make one.

Runescape is not much to look at -- although its current graphics are certainly a step above the original version -- but its gameplay is remarkable (and addictive), and that's what counts. The basic formula is similar to many MMORPGs: players create a custom avatar and then enter a world of swords and sorcery. The first section of the game is dedicated to a rather long (but very necessary) tutorial that reviews all major skills in the game. Players are taught to mine for copper ore, chop trees for firewood, hunt for wild birds, and grow potatoes, among other things. After the tutorial, players are released into the world and allowed to make of Runescape what they will. There is no linear storyline to follow, so players have the freedom to enhance their skills through repetition, battle NPC creatures, or take on dozens of quests throughout the lands of Gielinor.

A town in Runescape.

Control in Runescape is done almost exclusively with the mouse. The only buttons that get much use are the arrow keys, which move the camera around each player's avatar. Unfortunately camera controls cannot be mapped to any other keys, so those playing Runescape on a laptop will have to do some contorting.

The music in Runescape is nothing groundbreaking, but it's not bad in the slightest. It's the kind of pleasant -- sometimes rousing -- background music one would expect from a MMORPG: repetitive but enjoyable. Voice acting is a strong point, although some NPC dialogue is represented only by text.

One of over 100 quests in Runescape.

The community that plays Runescape seems to be generally affable, respectful, and keen to follow the rules of the game, but there are always troublemakers on such online games. The greatest flaw, and it's a flaw that affects virtually every "free to play" game, is that those who upgrade to a paid membership have access to much more content than non-members. This includes quests, skills, items, and locations. Still, much of the game IS free, and can be played directly from a browser. Overall, the game is worth playing -- despite some control issues, some unrefined graphics, and a "free" membership that bars access to the full game.

Score: 7.5