The futuristic landscape spreads out in an array of exotic colors as you step from the portal on the outskirts of the city. Mountains loom in the background, the tableau at once eerie and compelling. Spiked blue plants dot the foreground and ….

Bang! — you are dead.

Those weren’t plants, there were creatures and while in a state of wonder, they targeted you and shot. Fortunately, being a newcomer to the world, you don’t lose inventory items ­ at least not this time. But once you have passed the age of innocence, death will prove very costly.

Endless Ages, a massively multiplayer online game from Avaria, combines elements of role playing with the first-person shooter genre. And if you want a little bit more, well, Endless Ages offers that too. Meet certain requirements and you can purchase a jetpack or airborne vehicle to add a little aerial combat to the mix.

The human avatar stands in the city, wondering where to explore next, when suddenly a message flashes across the screen. The park is under attack. It is time to grab your weapon and head into action.

There are three avatars for gamers to choose from: Bloblic, amphibious, or human. The Bloblic are mechanical looking creatures while the amphibious creatures are small of stature. While each race has weaponry and skills particular to that species, it almost seems that the skills level out.

You begin in an area set aside for newcomers. There you will learn the fundamentals of the economic system, the control elements and how to recognize the various creatures you will encounter. The latter is a valuable skill, simply because taking on a beast well above your level is tantamount to a death sentence.

Once you accomplish the assigned tasks, akin to learning the fundamentals of the game, you will be allowed to leave and venture into the massive world beyond.

Endless Ages does follow suit in a lot of the standard MMO areas. The mobs (or monsters) you kill drop treasure, which can be looted and converted into gold, which in turn can be used to purchase weapons, armor and potions. The game has a bank vault and store to aid players with supplies and storage of gear.

The control elements, however, depart from the standard controls, and while very practical and straightforward, it will take time to get accustomed to them. Targeting is an essential element of this game and it will take time to learn how to use the mouse and keyboard effectively to target, lead and strike mobs. Using a melee weapon presents a completely different challenge and some of the mobs are quick and move in changing patterns, making the pursuit a challenging aspect of the game.

The game presents two perspectives ­ first-person and third person. Using a combination of mouse and keyboard, players can move about and look around. In the first-person mode, the game plays smoothly, However in third-person mode, the animation of the avatars looks jerky.

At times the audio portion of the program, though hardly a departure from the norm in the genre, came across as scratchy. This may be an incompatibility with the home computer’s sound system, but if experienced on one system, there is the likelihood that others will experience the same thing.

Endless Ages does trod some of the same paths as other MMOs but does manage to depart enough from that road to offer an slightly unique experience. The shooter elements are well realized, and the futuristic alien environment is deadly as well as clever.

This is a game that requires players to have good reflexes, and challenges them to use terrain for an advantage during combat.

Gameplay: 8
This game closely mirrors what other titles do in giving players quests, allowing them to loot defeated mobs for loot which can be converted into gold, and allowing them to skill up. The world of Lia is very large, and there are numerous places to explore, offering adventure and challenge for those of any skill level.

Graphics: 7.8
The first-person perspective is rather nice, but in third-person mode, the graphics are a little jerky. The world is well realized, and the futuristic setting works well.

Sound: 6.8
On several occasions the sound came across as scratchy ­ which could have been sound drivers or connection. And while the overall sound is typical of the genre, as in a bit of music and the action sounds, overall there is not much here to get excited about.

Difficulty: Medium
This is a game that requires time to level, and a good command of the control elements to target and shoot well. The game is somewhat kind in using proximity targeting (as in you only have to target any part of the body to hit it), but you will have to get familiar with leading targets.

Concept: 8
The game is treading ground that few have, and that is a good thing. The player interface will take some time to get really comfortable with, and does depart from the normal fare for the genre.

Multiplayer: 8.3
Players can forge along on their own quite easily, but you will have to interact with NPCs and, upon occasion, the avatar of a real person. For the most part, other gamers were easy to talk to and interact with, sharing knowledge and offering tips.

Overall: 8.3
The jerky third-person graphics and sound breakup were a bit disappointing, but Endless Ages does offer interesting and new twists on the MMO world by combining the basics of several genres. The game does not seem to have an abundance of servers but is affordable and fun.

For more information about Avaria, and an interview on this title, please see http://www.gamezone.com/news/12_05_01_02_19PM.htm