Fury Review for PC

System: PC	Review Rating Legend
Dev: Auran	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Gamecock	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: Oct. 16, 2007	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1 (MMOG)	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

Those that are more familiar with traditional turn-based combat should really enjoy the ability to execute moves in real time. There is virtually no waiting time for a strike to be issued. You can even dish out the punishment while you're on the move. The four main elementals include fire, water, wind, and nature. Combined with weapons, or with each other, these combined attacks can really do some damage. You can store your favorite combos in your incarnation slot. It's a handy feature if you're not into experimenting. I'm sure there are millions of different combinations, but I find that just breeds more anxiety. I don't have the time or inclination to try out a few million combinations. The combat is quick, and often you won't have time to do little more than put your favorite moves to the test.

Fury screenshot

Truth be told, there aren't a lot of different moves, at least at this stage of the game. You have your requisite ranges and melee moves, in addition to buffs, rebuffs, healing, magic, and unique character moves. Aside from some interesting finishing moves animation, there isn't a lot of variety to the combat animation. There is a lot of hacking, slashing, throwing, and rolling. Aside from a lot of button pushing when launching an attack, you'll have to move your character around quite a bit to avoid getting hit. There's really no strategy to the gameplay once you're in the heat of battle. You will have to hope that you've taken care of everything beforehand in terms of equipment, attributes, and elemental combinations. If your opponent sneaks up behind you when you first teleport to the arena, it could all but be over for you.

The interface is streamlined for easy access. It looks good, and it works well. It's a great example of form and function. The environments are limited to only a handful of maps. They aren't very well detailed, with the exception of the static backdrops that you can't interact with. Technically there are some minor flaws but nothing I can't live with. No major freeze-ups or blue screens. The characters respond well to commands, but they don't look all that great. The game will automatically default you to the appropriate rendering engine determined by your PCs processing capabilities. If you're computer is state-of-the-art, you'll access the Unreal 3 engine. The difference between the two engines appears negligible, although you can expect better looking characters.

The Fury gives me a conflicting sense of agoraphobia and claustrophobia. It's likely that it may be more refined in the future, but right now it feels as though it's still a work in progress.

By Cole Smith
CCC Senior Writer

Features:

PvP combat focused - Every development decision focuses on providing players the ultimate in Player vs. Player experience.

Combat with the visceral thrill of an FPS game and the strategy and depth of an RPG.

A robust matchmaking system that ensures players always fight opponents of equal skill and experience.

Classless advancement system for ultimate flexibility - No more gimping your character or being constrained to a specific set of abilities. In Fury you don't choose a class - you define your own!

A game that provides instant action to catch your attention, and the meaningful depth to hold it.

Realm vs. Realm system with literally dozens of other Realms to fight against!

Over 400 abilities, each with 10 unlockable ranks providing near endless possibilities for character advancement and achievement.

No boring PvE grind - go straight into thrilling PvP combat against human-controlled opponents.

Compelling Backstory with over 100 "memories" to unlock; these memories tell you about your character's incredible history.

Enormous item and equipment system, up to 1000 inventory slots - no boring, restrictive, inventory management here.

An MMO that you can actually achieve things in during your lunchtime.

Next-generation game built on Unreal Engine 3.

Challenge system for fighting with friends, groupmates or clans, for practice or bragging rights.

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.3

Graphics
Static backgrounds look good but aren't interactive. Character models are average.

4.4

Control
Interface is easy to understand and access. Lot of button mashing. Responsive controls.

3.4

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
Some unpolished soundtrack cues, but the sound effects are realistic.

2.8

Play Value
At this point, the game is much too repetitive with its PvP focus.

3.1

Overall Rating - Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.