Vanguard: Saga of Heroes

 PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 124 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 82 out of 124
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 124
  3. Negative: 30 out of 124
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  1. DaveG.
    Feb 14, 2007
    2
    From ports to under the world, spells in the spellbook being unrecognized (had one that insisted it was a diplomacy card for a day), dissapearing mobs, and quests that don't work the game becomes an exercise in frustration. I had recently bought a new system with a 7950 overclocked geforce and was still getting low fps choppy movement in the cities and have several friends who have From ports to under the world, spells in the spellbook being unrecognized (had one that insisted it was a diplomacy card for a day), dissapearing mobs, and quests that don't work the game becomes an exercise in frustration. I had recently bought a new system with a 7950 overclocked geforce and was still getting low fps choppy movement in the cities and have several friends who have reported the same who also have new or newer systems with good cards. The graphics may be nice but the game feels like another persons concept of EQ2. It just lacks a real feel of originality and the crashes and bugs really ruin any senese of fun.… Expand
  2. CharlesR.
    Mar 11, 2007
    2
    While some of the mechanics (the ones that are implemented) are nice there are many bugs and problems with this game. Many features just were not ready at release so are not implemented, game balance sucks, crafting is a serious grind just to get to level 10 and progressively becomes near impossible to do. The game is just tedious and the graphics are difficult for even the best graphic While some of the mechanics (the ones that are implemented) are nice there are many bugs and problems with this game. Many features just were not ready at release so are not implemented, game balance sucks, crafting is a serious grind just to get to level 10 and progressively becomes near impossible to do. The game is just tedious and the graphics are difficult for even the best graphic cards to manage.… Expand
  3. DaviS.
    Apr 23, 2007
    0
    Worst game ever stay away from this game it is terrible. The gameplay is at the best tedious. This game has taken mmorpgs back at least 10 years. Closed beta and open beta'd trying to give it a chance but it is so horrible I took the dvd out and broke it and threw away my 90ish dollar collection edition the only thing I kept was the nice smelling map which is useless for anything Worst game ever stay away from this game it is terrible. The gameplay is at the best tedious. This game has taken mmorpgs back at least 10 years. Closed beta and open beta'd trying to give it a chance but it is so horrible I took the dvd out and broke it and threw away my 90ish dollar collection edition the only thing I kept was the nice smelling map which is useless for anything except smelling good.… Expand
  4. JR
    Jan 30, 2007
    4
    This game is all promise and little delivery (yet). It is not a great game today but had the foundation to become a great game if you don't mind the growing pains to get there. The first 10 levels (hook time) need to be reworked and much more immersing. The game subscribes to the old and tired MMORPG design, of fun later and it does deliver fun later. After playing some of the newer This game is all promise and little delivery (yet). It is not a great game today but had the foundation to become a great game if you don't mind the growing pains to get there. The first 10 levels (hook time) need to be reworked and much more immersing. The game subscribes to the old and tired MMORPG design, of fun later and it does deliver fun later. After playing some of the newer games players will not be willing to wait until level 20+ to have fun. The same game released 3 months from now would receive a score of 7-8 from me, but not in it's current unfinished state.… Expand
  5. SanveanS.
    Mar 9, 2008
    0
    Horrid. I cannot fathom WHY SoE purchased this game, worst MMO on the market. I have a great rig, Dirext X10, and max graphics lookg like... horrid. No lag that I saw, just ugly and freaky. They remind me of a blend of SecondLife and EQ1 Classic.
  6. SeanR.
    Feb 6, 2007
    2
    Next generation MMO? Hardly. I beta tested this game for a month and that was about all I could stand. Whereas games like City of Heroes and World of Warcraft were steps forward, Vanguard is a giant step backwards for MMOs. A return to the big, empty, drab timesinks like Everquest. YAWN. Go buy Burning Crusade instead.
  7. JohnS.
    Feb 8, 2007
    2
    Amazing concept, terrible outcome. This game should not have been released yet, it feels as though they are charging 'beta' testers. Graphics are garbage unless you are running a very high end system, in which case, the graphics fail to impress. Gameplay is tedious, and adding more 'depth' to a MMO is just another way of adding more grind. Instead of a path forward Amazing concept, terrible outcome. This game should not have been released yet, it feels as though they are charging 'beta' testers. Graphics are garbage unless you are running a very high end system, in which case, the graphics fail to impress. Gameplay is tedious, and adding more 'depth' to a MMO is just another way of adding more grind. Instead of a path forward with gring this game takes you in circles. Many many bugs, a lot of downtime and the gameplay isn't fun. Save your money until you start seeing more positive reviews in a couple of months. IMO, this game is halfway through beta testing.… Expand
  8. Gamsreview
    Mar 3, 2007
    1
    This is one of the worst MMO's I have played in some time. It is a straigh copy of Everquest in every thinkable way. Getting to lvl 20 is a huge grind. Unless you have 4 friends that will group with you every time don't even bother. The diplomacy and tradeskill parts are so BORING it defies me, this is a terrible game.
  9. WardK
    Jul 25, 2008
    0
    Despite what I keep hearing this has some of the worst graphics I have seen in a game active as of July 2008! I'm trying it out on a everex xt5300 laptop (AMD TL50, nvidia 8600M G, 2 gigs CAS4 667 RAM, 5400 rpm sata1) so as with every recent game I know I have to cut corners and apply numerous tweaks. But after tweaking, defragging and a number of other googled suggestions, I still Despite what I keep hearing this has some of the worst graphics I have seen in a game active as of July 2008! I'm trying it out on a everex xt5300 laptop (AMD TL50, nvidia 8600M G, 2 gigs CAS4 667 RAM, 5400 rpm sata1) so as with every recent game I know I have to cut corners and apply numerous tweaks. But after tweaking, defragging and a number of other googled suggestions, I still get like 30-40 fps tops on the lowest settings - the lowest settings. Not medium-low, not balanced - the lowest. And if you didn't know the lowest settings look like the worst ass you imagine. So for kicks I cranked the video settings up all the way just to see what it would look like (not feasible to play at about 5 fps) and it was still wholly underwhelming. I can only imagine what kind of janky coding they have to make such plain-jane graphics use so much power. The animations are horrendous also. You pretty much have to play in 1st-person to not be constantly annoyed by the D-grade animations. For reference, they remind me of the animation in Morrowind's third-person view. To the person who said this game looks better than Oblivion - I want what you're smoking. Even if I had the power to crank this all the way up and still have smooth fps I wouldn't bother because it would still look trite and mediocre.… Expand
  10. JosephNelson
    Jul 30, 2008
    3
    Either this game was produced on a shoestring budget to compete with WoW, or this game was a concept that was released unfinished. AS others have said, with a good graphics card, the landscape looks pretty good. But the characters, interface, and those horrid NPC voices, are the cheesiest things I have ever seen. If SOE will invest some money into this and improve these mentionedEither this game was produced on a shoestring budget to compete with WoW, or this game was a concept that was released unfinished. AS others have said, with a good graphics card, the landscape looks pretty good. But the characters, interface, and those horrid NPC voices, are the cheesiest things I have ever seen. If SOE will invest some money into this and improve these mentioned things, they might have a winner, because the potential idea for this game is definitely there.… Expand
  11. MMOPlayer
    Dec 7, 2009
    3
    Vanguard features one of the most beautiful and immersive game worlds I have ever seen. The epic scale of Telon is unmatched in any game in terms of graphics, size or general freedom. There are flying mounts in the game allowing you go travel anywhere you can see. All of this sounds great, but the game has been plagued with bugs and glitches since day 1, and while they are much better Vanguard features one of the most beautiful and immersive game worlds I have ever seen. The epic scale of Telon is unmatched in any game in terms of graphics, size or general freedom. There are flying mounts in the game allowing you go travel anywhere you can see. All of this sounds great, but the game has been plagued with bugs and glitches since day 1, and while they are much better than when the game launched, progress seems to come at a snails pace. The development team is so small that every plan for new content they add is pushed back or delayed (indefinitely) due to lack of resources. It's this reason that I give the game a 3 for lack of support and new content. Very little has been added respectfully since the game was launched over 2 years ago and this is just unacceptable in any MMO.… Expand
  12. TimR
    Mar 4, 2009
    4
    This game is severely lacking on several levels. The decisions Sony has made since taking the game over have not all been good ones. Take for example, the changes a while back to rangers. Sony decided it would be cute to make it so that rangers use the Vanguard equivalent of mana whenever they shoot their bow, but tried to excuse it by saying that they upped the ranger dps. What did this This game is severely lacking on several levels. The decisions Sony has made since taking the game over have not all been good ones. Take for example, the changes a while back to rangers. Sony decided it would be cute to make it so that rangers use the Vanguard equivalent of mana whenever they shoot their bow, but tried to excuse it by saying that they upped the ranger dps. What did this achieve? Lower overall dps because the ranger has to constantly eat now to regain energy and power. This game is ludicrous and an exercise in futility. Pass on this one, the only saving grace about it are the graphics, which are on-par with current games. Other than that, the random lag spikes people have mentioned are actually the game freezing to load up a new region that you enter. That's right, the coding is so bad that when you go to a new section of the map, the game freezes for 1-10 seconds.… Expand
  13. TalmadgeW.
    Oct 21, 2007
    1
    Bought the game yesterday, it took over 4 hours to complete the updates, cause it kept CRASHING during the updates. Finally got it up and running. Created one character, got to level 6. Game play is mostly hack and slash grinding. Tried to play today, logged in fine, but keep getting "Waiting for World Sever Response" screen. I can't even see my character, much less play. No Bought the game yesterday, it took over 4 hours to complete the updates, cause it kept CRASHING during the updates. Finally got it up and running. Created one character, got to level 6. Game play is mostly hack and slash grinding. Tried to play today, logged in fine, but keep getting "Waiting for World Sever Response" screen. I can't even see my character, much less play. No reasonable company would release such a bug ridden game. Sony should be ashamed. Those people who rate this high are obviously Sony employees or synchophants. This game is truly horrible.… Expand
  14. MiroH.
    Feb 11, 2007
    2
    Just another mmorpg to grind in. Hardly anything next-gen in it except graphics, which we will be able to see in a few years when computers can actually run the game. Come on, mmorpgs been the same since Ultima Online. We need something now to the genre.
  15. JimS.
    Feb 12, 2007
    2
    Launch = Horrible. Yes, Ive been a part of alot of MMO releases. This one is terrible. Stay away for 3 months. Fanbase = Mediocre. Mostly WoW Haters/Bashers/Vanguard Fanbois who dont mind the horrible launch/bugs and validate them by saying either A) They're working on it or B) ~insert MMO here~ was worse. Bugs justified in the same manner. Game=Horrible. Some great concepts, but Launch = Horrible. Yes, Ive been a part of alot of MMO releases. This one is terrible. Stay away for 3 months. Fanbase = Mediocre. Mostly WoW Haters/Bashers/Vanguard Fanbois who dont mind the horrible launch/bugs and validate them by saying either A) They're working on it or B) ~insert MMO here~ was worse. Bugs justified in the same manner. Game=Horrible. Some great concepts, but I'm still wearing a tunic on my legs, an earring on my neck, lost multiple tombstones and items, UI bugs are intolerable, "Chunking" blows chunks, Levels of experience lost because I logged out, items not appearing in inventory after looting them.. I could go on, but why.. This game was released entirely too early. As most everything else associated with SoE is. People are currently paying for the game to beta test it. See you in April/May. Ill check back and see if its a usable product by then.… Expand
  16. BobT.
    Feb 14, 2007
    1
    Great concept + rushed production = another turd courtesy of SoE. I feel bad for Sigil; this was a wonderful opportunity to release an epic game, and it was squandered by the boneheads at Sony. This game will never recover from its horrible launch condition.
  17. GeorgeL.
    Feb 16, 2007
    4
    Some great concepts, real nice graphics, bad animations, a lot of mediocre implementation, and a shipload of bugs. Considering the state of the game at release, it will probably take them half a year of bug fixing only, and another year of content updates, to get the game into a state that can compare with WoW or EQ2 as they are now. Until that time, a lot of WoW players will look for Some great concepts, real nice graphics, bad animations, a lot of mediocre implementation, and a shipload of bugs. Considering the state of the game at release, it will probably take them half a year of bug fixing only, and another year of content updates, to get the game into a state that can compare with WoW or EQ2 as they are now. Until that time, a lot of WoW players will look for something new, which is the real chance for Vanguard to survive.… Expand
  18. AndrewJ.
    Feb 23, 2007
    3
    Utterly pointless waste of my 50 bucks. I could not get past level 4 in any character because I kept nodding off. I definitely recommend for insomniacs or people who cannot get a hold of the thousand other mmos out there. The only strong points are the graphics customization of the characters but who cares how pretty you are if you move like a robot through an ugly world doing pointless Utterly pointless waste of my 50 bucks. I could not get past level 4 in any character because I kept nodding off. I definitely recommend for insomniacs or people who cannot get a hold of the thousand other mmos out there. The only strong points are the graphics customization of the characters but who cares how pretty you are if you move like a robot through an ugly world doing pointless repetetive things? EQ2 looked better (though was just as boring) and WoW is animated better despite having 1/8th the graphical detail. I have heard that it was kicked out the door too early to get some money (and I did see bugs aplenty) but I doubt another year of development would have made it any less stuck in boring generic-mmorpgism.… Expand
  19. Tedminchev
    Feb 9, 2007
    3
    Beta tested for 2 months NOT complete, what the hell are they thinking? going live with WOW burning crusades opening up?

    Oh yeah I forgot , it is SONY ONLINE, idiots

    Her Brad are you reading this? C A S U A L W IN S!
    WOW wins, kinda sad.
  20. TonyS.
    Apr 22, 2007
    2
    Abysmal. This is not a 'WoW' beater, because it's not aimed at the same market. It's yet another drop in the ocean in the limited and over-stretched 'hardcore' MMO market. It's simply not fun to play. It's grindy to the point of complete insanity, it's unfinished, SOE have even admitted this, and while crafting is pretty good it does not save Abysmal. This is not a 'WoW' beater, because it's not aimed at the same market. It's yet another drop in the ocean in the limited and over-stretched 'hardcore' MMO market. It's simply not fun to play. It's grindy to the point of complete insanity, it's unfinished, SOE have even admitted this, and while crafting is pretty good it does not save the game from being uninspired, unfinished, bug-ridden, shallow drivel. If you want a second job that you have to pay for the priviledge of hating, then Vanguard will be right up your alley, but if you're looking for actual fun and enjoyment, best be looking elsewhere.… Expand
  21. MikeH
    Apr 30, 2007
    0
    Stunningly bad execution. I wanted very badly to like this game, being an old school UO and SWG fanatic. This game was beyond bad. The interface is terrible, the production value is ludicrous and the gameplay is so stale I wanted to cry. Worse, I could find no immersion. If you like this game, great. If you've never tried it before... let the buyer beware.
  22. Jhen
    May 2, 2007
    0
    I played this game in beta, and again since launch. I have to say this is thoroughly the worst MMORPG I have ever played. It has potential certainly, however in its current state, it is absolutely wretched. The bugs are frustrating, constant nerfs and class unbalancing, and outright stupid decisions have turned what could have been a wonderful game into utter crap. I canceled when LOTRO I played this game in beta, and again since launch. I have to say this is thoroughly the worst MMORPG I have ever played. It has potential certainly, however in its current state, it is absolutely wretched. The bugs are frustrating, constant nerfs and class unbalancing, and outright stupid decisions have turned what could have been a wonderful game into utter crap. I canceled when LOTRO came out, and couldn't be happier with my decision. Do not waste your money on this SOE/Sigil stinkbomb.… Expand
  23. SteveH.
    Aug 9, 2007
    0
    I can't believe I spent money on this game. It's absolutely horrible. When people talk about inspiring graphics, they must be talking about the landscapes because everything else looks like it is based on a game engine from the early 90's. As for game play, they took all the bad, boring, bits of old Everquest and made a game of it. Maybe something better will come of it I can't believe I spent money on this game. It's absolutely horrible. When people talk about inspiring graphics, they must be talking about the landscapes because everything else looks like it is based on a game engine from the early 90's. As for game play, they took all the bad, boring, bits of old Everquest and made a game of it. Maybe something better will come of it down the road - if the game even lasts that long.… Expand
  24. SeanC
    Feb 23, 2009
    0
    This game is just flat out boring, there's nothing to bring you in, it's the same thing that's been done before with no twist or any good mechanic.

Awards & Rankings

91
#91 Best PC Game of 2007
20
#20 Most Discussed PC Game of 2007

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 32 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 32
  3. Negative: 2 out of 32
  1. Yahoo!
    70
    While free of crash bugs, problems in interface, gameplay, and content abound. But if you're an old-school player, or a WoW player who's ready to delve deeper into a more complex MMORPG, then Vanguard was made for you.
    Read full review
  2. GameDaily
    70
    People willing to put in the effort will certainly be rewarded, since each level in every mode feels like a major accomplishment. Vanguard, with vast opportunities and size, requires time to grow on players. Patient gamers who enjoy tons of options will find many riches and glory here.
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  3. GamesRadar+
    80
    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.
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