Horizons: Empire of Istaria

 PC
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 13 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 13
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 13
  3. Negative: 1 out of 13
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  1. Computer Games Magazine
    90
    With its engaging advancement system and visual feel that invokes the best of "Morrowind," Horizons may not be the true home for wandering seekers, but it's an excellent place to stay. [Mar 2004, p.77]
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  2. Just RPG
    86
    An intricate and fun game. If you like crafting you will think you’ve reached Heaven. If you do adventuring and crafting you will wish you had ten more hours a day to play.
  3. ActionTrip
    83
    They have created a game that allows the player to create the type of Player vs. Enemy or crafting game they like. Even with its current short comings, I am having a great time in the game and cannot wait to jump online whenever I have a chance.
  5. IGN
    82
    The ability to totally customize a character through multi-classing, the dichotomy of adventuring and crafting, the crafting system that will make most crafters extremely happy, plenty of low level content, good graphics and incredible music, along with a deep lore is worth a look if you think those things might be of interest to you.
  6. Gamer's Hell
    78
    The land and its Story, the content, and the very promising features that are already implemented and will be implemented make this a game very well worth playing.
  7. GameSpy
    75
    MMORPGs fans will find plenty to like with Horizons. Its crafting system is unmatched, getting your own place is a nice perk, and busybodies will love the multitude of quests.
  8. PC Format
    73
    It’s stable, easy to learn, cheap and has plenty of scope for development, which is perhaps more than the competition offers.
  9. Game Informer
    70
    It became clear at this point that Horizons follows the MMORPG cannon to the letter, that the graphics are very average, and that there's no reason to play outside the social aspect. [Feb 2004, p.111]
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  10. Yahoo!
    70
    It has many game mechanics in common with "EverQuest," the potential for town building like "Shadowbane," and a complex crafting system like "Ultima Online" or "Galaxies."
  11. GameSpot
    67
    Horizons is overly time-consuming and is inherently not well-suited to the average gamer, so those who haven't yet taken the plunge into and accustomed themselves to paying the monthly fees for this style of gaming probably shouldn't start here and now.
  12. Worth Playing
    60
    It doesn’t offer enough of a twist to lure people away from their current game, and there are plenty of established games that are simply better.
  13. PC Gamer
    56
    Despite all the ongoing updates and patches, the most critical element is missing: The game hasn't received a fun patch. [May 2004, p.68]
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  14. Computer Gaming World
    40
    A shrug-inducing "so what" game that - judging by the barren servers - seems to be keeping players away in droves. [May 2004, p.86]
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Awards & Rankings

79
#79 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 23
  3. Negative: 3 out of 23
  1. Silithus-Zerr
    Jan 2, 2014
    10
    Still up and running after reaching it's ten year anniversary, this game is definitely worth checking out. It may not have the flashy visualsStill up and running after reaching it's ten year anniversary, this game is definitely worth checking out. It may not have the flashy visuals that characterize modern MMORPG's but more than makes up for this through unique features such as playing a dragon race through three stages of life development, or building a real plot or dragon lair as part of the world where anyone can walk in and sit down instead of having instanced situations. There are over 26 different adventure classes (all of which can be combined with one another in a multi-class system for great customization) for the many races that walk on two feet, and a unique draconic adventure class for the dragons.

    Now run by Virtrium, it is also showing promise as new content is released periodically. Recently added was a whole new crafting class for Dragons and a new area to explore called Fiery Rift. The company often deals with players personally when they need help through a ticket system, and has a very fast response time. Although the game does have bugs, the developer's often work hard at quickly eradicating them when they arise.

    The community is also one of the best I've seen. Max level players continue to go out of their way to help new players learn or provide equipment to help them. The Order shard of the game (Roleplay) features a small but tight knit community of roleplayers and just plain good people, while the Chaos shard (PvE) is there for those with less of a 'In-character' bent.

    Final verdict: Definitely worth a try on trial period to test out the multitude of different races. Or go Human for free-to-play option.    … Full Review »
  2. RayP.
    Apr 1, 2004
    9
    Excellent game. Because crafting is so good in the game, really awesome weapons with cool effects are available. The game is very stable, Excellent game. Because crafting is so good in the game, really awesome weapons with cool effects are available. The game is very stable, virtually bug free, EXCELLENT MUSIC (not like Final Fantasy's MIDI sounding crap), and decent graphics. This one will keep me involved and may actually give WoW a run for its money. … Full Review »
  3. XWraithX
    Jan 24, 2004
    9
    I'll admit that this is my first mmorpg, aside from playing star wars galaxies for a few hours, but in all Horizons seems to do quite a I'll admit that this is my first mmorpg, aside from playing star wars galaxies for a few hours, but in all Horizons seems to do quite a few things right, the crafting system is amazing, the combat while not perfect is still fun and interesting enough to keep coming back for more, and the music is amazing. And although i do agree that some parts of the maps are devoid of life, there are plenty of things to see, do and kill. My main complaint is in the requirements. Even on my System it runs choppy occasionally. P4-2.66 512MB DDR 2700 ATI Radeon 9700 Pro 120GB WD SE HDD w/ 8MB Cache … Full Review »
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