Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

Gameplay (Benelux) (88 out of 100)

In Vanguard is niets eenvoudig, maar doorbijters mogen zich aan een kick verwachten die je in weinig MMORPG's zal aantreffen.

PC Powerplay (83 out of 100)

Auch auf die Gefahr hin, dass nun ein wütender Lynchmob aus WoW-Fans mit Fackeln und Mistgabeln vor meiner Wohnung Aufstellung nimmt: Vanguard steckt World of WarCraft locker in die Tasche. Und zwar paradoxerweise deshalb, weil es das objektiv schlechtere Spiel ist. Man könnte seitenweise über mangelhafte Tutorials, mies platzierte Trainer oder die stellenweise sterile Spielwelt lamentieren, ohne damit auch nur ansatzweise dem Spaß gerecht zu werden, den Vanguard trotz der Mängel macht. Ich jedenfalls fühle mich auch nach über 50 Stunden reiner Spielzeit immer noch wie ein kleines Kind, das gerade den größten Spielplatz der Welt entdeckt hat - und wenn ich mir beim Herumtollen manchmal die Knie aufschürfe, dann gehört das verdammt nochmal dazu.

Play.tm (81 out of 100)

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.

GamesRadar (8 out of 10)

Vanguard has a huge amount of promise, thanks to innovative features that could satisfy everything from a diplomat to a hack and slash addict. The world that it all takes place in is amazing on terms of size and beauty. However, this is a hardcore MMO designed first and foremost for devoted players with lots of time to invest - just to get to level 10 will take you a few days, whereas you can hit that level in WoW in a long afternoon. If you're not looking for a game that will take you on the long haul, maybe World of Warcraft would be a better fit.

GotNext ( )

With stability very solid for a MMO this new, quests that are usually more than FedEx adventures, and a combat engine that adds several layers to what we've seen so far... it's incredibly hard not to recommend Vanguard to the dedicated MMO-fan. Even if you're one of those willing to die for the Horde, you may want to at least check out the saga these heroes are spinning.

IGN (7.7 out of 10)

Sigil hasn't shaken up the MMO experience. It's an evolutionary game, from what I've seen. The fact that it's a bit early out of the gate has caused it to have a number of launch issues, most of which are fairly common to the genre. The slower progression, group focus and huge world all set the game apart from the current MMO behemoth, World of Warcraft. Whether those differences are positive or negative is largely a matter of taste. For now, it's a nice evolution, learning from the smart decisions and mistakes of the MMOs that came before it. Once all of the bugs and other issues get hammered out, Vanguard could end up being a loveable game.

games xtreme (7.5 out of 10)

Overall, V:SoH is an enjoyable experience, it won't win many awards and it won't steal many subscribers from WoW. Though, if you are looking for something a little different, your PC is high end and you enjoy playing as a group, this game could be well worth a try.

Jeuxvideo.com (15 out of 20)

Un MMORPG sans concession, voilà comment on pourrait qualifier Vanguard qui ne tente pas de faire les yeux doux aux joueurs occasionnels avec sa difficulté corsée, son manque volontaire d'indications sur la carte et ses pénalités de mort avec perte d'équipement. Bref, le jeu s'adresse en priorité aux hardcore gamers qui y trouveront un challenge à leur niveau. Maintenant, il faut aussi dire que les quelques nouveautés que l'on peut voir ici et là, comme la diplomatie, ne parviennent pas à masquer entièrement le sentiment de déjà-vu que l'on ressent au cours des parties. Le titre de Sigil ressemble en effet un peu trop à d'autres MMORPG (Everquest premier du nom en tête). Néanmoins, les amateurs du genre peuvent aisément se laisser tenter par ce titre, qui est au final plutôt agréable.

GameSpot (7.5 out of 10)

Features like player housing and boats for travel extend Vanguard's shelf life for players approaching the top level of 50, and even with plenty of room for future questing content, there's plenty to see and do. But Vanguard is undoubtedly not for everyone. Multiple bugs, forced grouping, and a vocal player community sensitive to criticism currently keep players looking for an easygoing adventuring experience at arm's length. But Vanguard gets a lot right, and the engaging combat and nifty diplomacy are more than enough reason for genre enthusiasts to give it a shot.

GameSpot (Belgium/Netherlands) (75 out of 100)

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes is duidelijk niet voor iedereen weggelegd. Solospelers zullen hier hun gading niet in vinden, en bezitters van middelmatige pc's zullen zich gefrustreerd voelen met de technische vereisten. Daarbij komt nog dat het spel niet af lijkt, en het kampt met een aantal vervelende bugs. Als pluspunten vermelden we het originele diplomatiesysteem en de prachtige graphics (voor zij die er van kunnen genieten).

GameStar (Germany) (73 out of 100)

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Nach drei Monaten können wir feststellen, dass Vanguard an Reiz gewonnen hat. Wir sind herumgekommen und haben schöne Landstriche erkundet. Wir haben uns mit imposanten Monstern geprügelt und nette Quests erlebt. Das alles wirkt sich positiv auf die Wertung aus - jedoch ist Vanguard noch nicht ausgereift genug, um zu einem echten Hit zu werden.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (7 out of 10)

If you are an old EQ player or in search of something more hardcore than WoW, but you dismissed Vanguard as a ropey old goat earlier in the year, you could do worse than trying it again. However, if WoW is your poison - or if you're unusure about this whole MMOG lark in general - Vanguard should probably stay off your shopping list.

AceGamez (7 out of 10)

Despite some bugs, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes still remains instantly accessible for those with some patience, and you will need a great deal of patience, because although WoW showed everyone how fun MMORPGs can be once you design them to be accessible to all, Vanguard is a game geared towards the hardcore players who crave more of a challenge. It isn't going to top Blizzard's behemoth, and neither will anyone leaving WoW in search of new adventure feel particularly comfortable in Vanguard's unforgiving world, but it is a deep and challenging, if somewhat backwards, online game that'll offer more than enough new thrills for the MMORPG traditionalists.

Trusted Reviews (7 out of 10)

Perhaps the real key to understanding Vanguard is that even though it looks third-generation, it’s driven by an old-school mentality and how you respond will depend on how much you can share it. Like any good MMORPG – and this is a good MMORPG – it’s addictive, huge and habit-forming. It’s also well-designed and thoroughly gorgeous to look at. Yet it demands the sort of commitment that means it will never pull in the casual crowd that took to WoW and Guild Wars in such numbers. Provided player numbers stay up or even grow, Vanguard will give back everything that you put in. The question is, do you really have the time and energy to give it in the first place? The first of the third-age MMORPGs looks fantastic, but feels a bit of a throwback to the first. A great step-up from WoW if you want more complexity and choice, but the more casual player is still better served by WoW or Guild Wars.

Games TM (7 out of 10)

Vanguard's low population makes it very difficult to find a team of more than one or two players, and this is a classic Catch 22. It's going to need more players to make it more attractive to subscribers. These are early days yet, so it's hard to predict exactly how it's going to perform over the coming months. Though Vanguard's a solid enough title, it seems it's up to Sony's marketing department to pull in subscribers and strike the right balance.

PC Action (Germany) (69 out of 100)

Guild Wars ist Ihnen zu simpel und WoW zu einsteigerfreundlich? Dann sind Sie bei Vanguard genau richtig. Vorausgesetzt Sie stören sich nicht an nervigen Bugs, einer viel zu trägen Spielmechanik und extrem hohen Hardware-Anforderungen. Vor allem zuletzt Genannte haben mich am Ende abgeschreckt. Selbst auf PCs, die oben genannte Konkurrenzprodukte in hohen Auflösungen tadellos darstellen, läuft Saga of Heroes schlichtweg indiskutabel. Und ganz ehrlich: Für ein PC-Upgrade ist mir Vanguard einfach nicht gut genug.

PC Player (Denmark) (6.5 out of 10)

Der er udsigt til et godt spil, men havde Sony skrevet "Vanguard Beta" på spilæsken, havde de været mere ærlige. Spillet føles, og er, ufærdigt på så mange punkter, at det er til at græde over. Forhåbentlig bliver det pudset kraftigt af over de næste par måneder - hvis ikke Sigil løber tør for penge igen.

4Players.de (65 out of 100)

Vanguard Saga of Heroes wollte die nächste Generation der Online-Rollenspiele einläuten. Das ist ein ehrenwertes Ziel, an dem es scheitert. Und das liegt nicht nur an den technischen Querelen gegen die jedes Online-Rollenspiel zum Start kämpfen muss. Es ist einfach zu mühsam, sich durch die stellenweise schönen, unheimlich weitläufigen, aber leider sehr sterilen Landschaften zu kämpfen. Um an interessante Highlights wie „fliegende Reittiere“, „Player-Housing“ oder „die steuerbaren Schiffe“ zu kommen, muss man allerdings sehr viel langweiliges und belohnungsarmes „Grinden“ praktizieren – also immer dort stupide und oft kämpfen, wo Monster auftauchen. Ist das die nächste Generation der Online-Rollenspiele?

JeuxVideoPC.com (13 out of 20)

Ouvertement, Vanguard est un jeu hardcore. Sa prise en main n’est pas évidente, on ne peut pas franchement dire qu’il soit beau du fait de ses trop grandes inégalités de design, il est peu dynamique… Clairement, la technique de ce jeu pêche, mais il est riche dans son gameplay et dans son contenu. L’accumulation de petites idées comme les combos, le craft en groupe ou la diplomatie, en font un titre de caractère qui comblera ceux qui ne voient en WoW qu’un MMO guimauve.

YouGamers (64 out of 100)

Underneath all the bugs and unfinished things there is a game, and for some hardcore MMO players it may be worthwhile to ride along with the developers trying to patch everything up, but it may be a long time before we would recommend Vanguard for casual gamers. It's just unfinished in so many ways.

GameStar (Germany) (62 out of 100)

Ich bin durchaus leidensfähig und kann auch schon mal stupide für eine Weile Monster verdreschen, um meinen Charakter auf die nächste Stufe zu bringen. Aber in Vanguard muss ich das nahezu dauernd machen. Quests sind Mangelware, obendrein oft zu schwer, und sie bringen mir lediglich Ausrüstungs-Schmodder, aber kaum Erfahrungspunkte. Da selbst Klimpergeld hart verdient ist, dauert es ewig, bis ich mir mal eine neue Robe leisten kann - die beim Händler zwar als schicker Lederfummel angezeigt wird, an meinem Gnom aber doch wieder nur ein farbloser Lappen ist. Ein Pferd kann ich mir sicher niemals leisten, oder haben Sie mal schnell drei Goldstücke über? Bei mir will sich der Reiz, die Tiefen Vanguards zu erkunden, einfach nicht einstellen.

GameSpy ( )

As a former EverQuest junkie, it pains me to see an unfinished product like Vanguard: Saga of Heroes released before its time. There's potential for a very good game here, and we've had our share of both highs and lows with the gameplay, but the sheer number of gameplay bugs, graphical issues, and poor technical performance make it difficult to recommend in its current state. It's clear that the developers are working hard to improve the game every day, but at best, the day where it might get a strong recommendation is still far off in the future.

Eurogamer.net (UK) (6 out of 10)

We sincerely hope that when we return to the world of Telon in a few months time, it will truly be an experience that lives up to the promise of the game, and which is worthy of re-review and altogether more praise. For now, Vanguard is a game which has plenty to offer a brave adventurer with a stunning PC. Aside from any design or content problems we've identified with the game, potential buyers need to be aware that they're entering a world which, as a prominent WOW character would have it, is not prepared.

The MMO Gamer (3 out of 5)

Overall, Vanguard is significantly improved over release, and defintely a beatiful game. I might say the biggest downfall of the title is community. While the people already there are head strong Vanguard fans, it still doesn’t seem to be bringing in a lot of new subs, and the world does seem strangley empty at times. And in a title where you can pretty much freely roam wherever you would like, it definitely is noticeable. Barring that, Vanguard has turned into a pretty solid title with some incredible visuals, and fairly enjoyable content.

Eurogamer.de (6 out of 10)

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes könnte ein sehr gutes Spiel sein. Mit seiner offenen Welt orientiert sich der Titel eher an Star Wars Galaxies, was ich persönlich zwei Jahre lang äußerst gerne gespielt habe. Dennoch will der Funke hier bei mir nicht überspringen. Die eher spärlich vorhandene Geschichte lässt mich schlicht kalt. Zudem stoßen Spiele mit 08/15 Fantasy-Szenario derzeit eher weniger in eine Marktlücke. Wo bleiben, abgesehen von der Diplomatie, die frischen Ideen? Hardcore-Rollenspieler mit viel Zeit wird Vanguard sicherlich ansprechen, allerdings verweilt die breite Masse wohl eher bei World of WarCraft. Um sich gegen die drohenden Konkurrenten Herr der Ringe, Warhammer und Age of Conan behaupten zu können, bedarf es jedenfalls noch eine Menge Arbeit und Feintuning von Sigil Games.

Game Revolution (C+)

Vanguard: Saga of Heroes might be a far better game in a few months time, but coming from the company that questionably destroyed one of its most popular MMOs (Star Wars Galaxies), nothing is guaranteed. If you’re looking for an extended tour of nerd duty, and don’t mind it being very much a work in progress, you could give Vanguard a shot, but don’t cry to us when you’re stuck in a tree fighting an invisible wolf, naked, with nothing but a deck of talking cards.

Gameslave UK (5.5 out of 10)

But for all these whiz-bang innovations, the game simply cannot escape the fact that for 90 per cent of the time it's as boring as watching paint dry. Or a soliloquy from Phil Mitchell on Eastenders, for that matter (sorry, soap fans). It suffers from a fundamental lack of actual things to do and, unlike other titles in the genre, doesn't actively seek to address this problem.

PC Zone (1993-2010) (4.5 out of 10)

While taking inspiration from many of its peers, Vanguard fails to understand the keys to success. It's a classic case of quantity over quality, sporting so much repetition and needless grinding that it can hardly be called an adventure. In a world of well-made, fun-packed MMORPGs like Guild Wars and WOW, Vanguard is in no way recommendable to anyone but masochists and those with more time and money than sense. Sadly, Sigil's vision is dead.

1UP (3 out of 10)

It's easy to think of Vanguard as what EQ might've been were it made today. It's stuck in time, in a way that might be comfortable for some, but just plain aggravating for others. Its quests retain the same structure...and the game world, races, and mythology are almost indistinguishable from EQ's paint-by-numbers high fantasy. Hell, even the names over characters' heads appear in the same font.