Lineage II launched back in April 2004 and since that time there have been five new chronicles sent out to players and the newest chapter in the NCsoft massively multiplayer online game – which included Interlude and The 1^st Throne: The Kamael – hit in 2007.

Well, since it has been four years, it seems only right that NCsoft celebrate the game with a Fourth Anniversary Edition of the game. But this edition is just packed with L2 goodness, including all seven previous expansions as well as the latest expansion, Hellbound.

This is a bundle and as such, this review will talk about the offerings of the bundle. Up front, if you have never played Lineage II and have an interest, even though the game is an open player-versus-player world and it does have a bit of a grind to the leveling process, this would be the package to get.

The Anniversary Edition contains 60 days of free play, some gifts for those who have had an account for a while (as in free gender transfer for players who have had an account for more than 1 year; free gender transfer and ½ price character name change for two-plus years; free gender transfer, ½ price character name change and ½ price character server transfer for three-plus years).

The Kamael were introduced in the previous expansion (joining the other five races), and Hellbound adds new territory to the game, which is basically geared for higher-level characters (character cap is now at 85). Hellbound is the highest level hunting ground and includes the Steel Citadel. The citadel is for level 85 players and culminates with facing Beleth (the toughest boss in the game) in the Naia Tower.

While the game is an open-world PvP format, players can now duel one another in an organized combat that foregoes death penalties or karma penalties (players who attack other players without provocation incur a karma penalty; get a high enough penalty and your name turns red, which basically means anyone can attack you at any time without incurring any penalty).

In addition to the castle sieges, the latest expansions have also added in fortress battles. Clans can register to siege a fortress and there are also independent (non-clan controlled) fortresses that have an underground prison dungeon complete with raid bosses.

Instanced dungeons have been introduced into the world. For some of the instanced zones, you have to complete a quest to enter it or you have to have acquired a castle or fortress to have access. In addition to the new level cap, player pets have an increased level cap of 86 now. But with Hellbound, it gets a bit juicier. As pets level, they evolve into bigger forms, but some of them, like a wolf, will now evolve into mounts players can ride into battle. The wolf, for example, can become a fenrir.

The replay system in LII has been polished up a bit more, allowing players to capture battles as video.

While Lineage II is not for the casual player, it is a game that is both challenging and holds a fair share of eye candy – this is still true four years down the road. Hellbound does bring in new content for high-level players, but as a robust package, the Fourth Anniversary Edition offers a lot for players who have never played, or who have missed out on the expansion and would rather have the client all contained on one DVD. The game is showing its age, to be certain, but there still is an esoteric beauty to the game, a majesty that is appealing.

Gameplay: 7.0
A grind is still a grind. While some elements have been polished up a bit (like the replay system), the game remains essentially the same.

Graphics: 7.5
The client is starting to show its age a bit, but still has moments of majestic beauty.  

Sound: 7.0
The sound is solid, whether in the combat elements or in the musical score.

Difficulty: Med/Hard

Concept: 7.7
As a total package, what is offered here is nice. The new content (Hellbound) is for the upper-level player and if you don’t have anyone at the level cap, and do have the other expansions or chronicles, this might not appeal to you.

Multiplayer: 8.0
The community is not as quick to hack away at any passer-by, and can even be helpful. It is an older community though and in the younger areas, you can go on for a while without seeing another real player.   

Overall: 7.0
A nice package with all the elements contained in one place. This is a good anniversary package, though most of the newer content is for upper level characters.