Developer: NetDevil
Publisher: NCSoft
Genre: MMORPG

Minimum System Requirements
Windows 2000/XP
DirectX 9.0c
1.6+ GHz Processor
512MB RAM
GeForce 4200Ti or ATI Radeon 8500
10 GB free hard disk space
DVD-ROM drive

Test System
2.0 GHz AMD Athlon X2 64 3800+ (Dual Core)
256 MB PCI-E GeForce 7800 GTX
1 GB of Dual Channel RAM



After playing World of Warcraft for a year, I've grown restless and seek new MMORPGs to explore. So of course I jumped at the opportunity to review a brand-new game like Auto Assault. I mean, come on! A cross between Carmageddon and World of Warcraft? My God, what will they think of next!

Installation and Patching

As always, the installation process for a large game such as this takes a while. Although the number of CDs were limited, the patching process took a long time. I always recommend that setting up the installation process and leaving it to download while you go do something else.

The installation process was generally smooth apart from a couple minor problems, however, I have to admit that I DO NOT like having to patch the game every time I play! I know that some games do this as a measure of principle to rout would-be cheaters, but this is beyond annoyance to me. If this is not an anti-cheat, it should be removed.

Graphics

In general, the graphics are middling and do not impress the eye. Some tearing was evidenced on higher graphics settings and detail is not as refined as it is in other games I've played. Then again performance doesn't lag and that makes a difference if you're running on a computer system with lower specs.

As minimum graphics specification is a GeForce Ti 4200 or ATI Radeon 8500, there's potential for a wide diversity of customers, but in an age where nice video cards and fast CPUs are cheap I don't see why there aren't more options for the customer to "trick out" the graphics.

Where are the options to increase resolution? Why can't I use the full potential of my GeForce 7800 GTX? If I were a consumer of high-end video equipment I'd clearly be disappointed.


Comparing to other MMORPGS (DISCLAIMER)

It's unfair to compare MMORPGS to WoW, but in the same vein, it's inevitable. Blizzard has defined the state-of-the art mainly because they're pulling down so much money that they can afford the best from all walks of the development world.

NetDevil has clearly opted to choose performance quality rather than emphasize top-end graphics and there is merit in that, especially for owners of aging computer systems. I expect that if the game gains market share, many things will improve significantly.

Gameplay

If you like to drive around and crash into stuff, this is the game for you. Auto Assault uses Havok Physics, making collisions and action more lively. Trees catch on fire, junk goes flying on impact, and generally lots of stuff blows up. Given that you find all kinds of goodies when you destroy random things, being destructive has direct rewards!

The apocalyptic scenerio is weird. I like the races, but man ... this world is really screwed up. Noxious gasses and radiation make it more believable as to why the characters hardly ever come out of their cars (in the future, I suppose a bathroom is built into one's seat!). Honestly though, if Earth goes to hell in a handbasket like this, then let it stay forsaken ;)

Getting to the meat of the game, this world is vast ... I find myself driving back and forth around looking for things to do, and were I to be on foot it would be unbearable. Staying on the roads provides you some relief from baddies, but safe passage is not assured. Roads are there for guidance mostly, and the mini-map is what you'll want to rely on for navigation.

Gameplay is generally smooth, but on one occasion I did manage to get my vehicle stuck so badly that I had to call "INC" to pick my stupid car out of a rock outcropping. INC is a fortunate thing, because if you're in a jam, you can always call for help to fly your bashed-up wreck of a car back to base for a quick fix-er-up.

The "Carmageddon" feel of the game is persistent, which I like, but I don't like the "getting out of the car" parts of the game so much. The cities slowed the game down to a snail's pace and seemed to try to nail down an evasive story line.