• Publisher: Fun Com
  • Release Date: Jun 26, 2001
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 11
  2. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. The communitiy is huge, the forums helpful, and there are no hunts for ennemies around a barren wasteland.
  2. There is nothing wrong with this game universe or the adventure within it, if only we all the had the time to enjoy it properly without the need for work, study or sleep getting in the way!
  3. Provides an important alternative to fantasy MMORPGs, and is designed well enough to warrant a look from anyone interested in the genre.
  4. 80
    The game has stability now to rival the games that have been on the market for years. While a few minor bugs and the occasional graphical glitch still exist, the game tends to play quite seamlessly.
  5. 79
    A promising game with some big technical flaws, but in a few week's time it's sure to replace your "EverQuest" addiction.
  6. If you can brave being part of this polish stage in exchange for being part of something that’s new and a little bit of a break from the norm, then give AO a try.
  7. If it can conquer its technical problems, Anarchy Online will be the very best online role-playing game around.
  8. 72
    It's a brilliant, engaging, profound MMORPG, but with enough atrocious technical problems to make you scream more obscenities than a French truck driver.
  9. If they eventually fix the bugs (like the other online games have), AO will definitely be a winner and more than just "Everquest in space."
  10. 65
    Frame rates are so horrendously slow in the game's crowded areas -- such as the cities -- that it becomes almost painful to even move your character, let alone interact with others.
  11. It features great graphics, a slightly modified version of "EverQuest's" gameplay model, and lots of frustrating problems. True to its theme, you should only consider playing it in the future.
User Score
7.3

Mixed or average reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 46
  2. Negative: 10 out of 46
  1. Jun 25, 2015
    10
    Game has a brand new engine and it just makes this game 1000x better! The community on this game is so mature and kind. I am putting this gameGame has a brand new engine and it just makes this game 1000x better! The community on this game is so mature and kind. I am putting this game in my top 5 favorite of all time. Full Review »
  2. Jan 29, 2014
    10
    My second favorite game of all time.

    There is no other game out there like AO. Nothing comes close. I'd get into its pros and cons, but
    My second favorite game of all time.

    There is no other game out there like AO. Nothing comes close.

    I'd get into its pros and cons, but suffice it to say that its the most atmospheric and otherworldly gaming experience I've had in an MMO. I still love it after 10 years of play.

    Be warned: It does have a steep learning curve and its not for the impatient. But, on the flip-side it has the most intelligent and mature playerbase of any online game in the world. Trust me on this.

    The best part? Its free to try up to the first 200 levels (out of 220). However, I HIGHLY recommend spending 5 dollars for the shadowlands expansion at least.
    Full Review »
  3. Mar 27, 2012
    9
    only reason its a 9? graphics are older, but new engine is getting close now, as they are advertising it. with new engine, this game would beonly reason its a 9? graphics are older, but new engine is getting close now, as they are advertising it. with new engine, this game would be an 11/10. no mmo in existence is as big, has as much content, as many classes, and as much character customization as Anarchy Online. plus, its Sci-fi done right. the only downside? its a game designed for above-average and higher IQ's (which is often what sci-fi attracts in the first place). that is not an insulting statement, it is just a fact I've learned from playing AO for 8 years, with a break here and there. the learning curve is steep, and takes months, possibly years to experience the whole game. the difference between AO and newer mmo's, is that you must use your brain. putting on the best gear or equiping gear twice your level requires laddering implants, backpacks of gear swapping to temporarily ladder your skills to equip something that you should not be able to, which in turn bumps up skills to equip something else even more ridiculous to be wearing at your level. In any other game this would be exploiting. in AO it is the bread and butter, and is called "twinking" in AO lingo. no game in history has done this, or done it successfully to the scale that AO does it. when the new engine and starter areas are implemented, this game will be in a league of its own, and a perfect rating will not do it justice. until then, get some friends together and try the game. its definitely worth it. Full Review »