Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 59 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 415 Ratings

  • Summary: The graphically stunning online game is set in a world being torn apart by dimensional "rifts" that tear into the land of Telara, releasing powerful forces that threaten the very existence of the entire universe. Rifts and other dynamic events can be triggered by players, scheduled by the development team, or even occur spontaneously. Dynamic events within the game can lead to a range of changes across the world, including everything from minor events to dramatic shifts in the game's landscape and the opening of new areas. Players will connect with hundreds of thousands of other gamers to battle creatures overrunning the world, as well as each other. Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 56 out of 59
  2. Negative: 0 out of 59
  1. Apr 4, 2011
    95
    Taking the best aspects of the games that came before it, improving on them and adding its own unique elements has Rift poised to be a long term power in the MMOG community.
  2. Mar 14, 2011
    86
    The exceptional storyline and intriguing lore make even the less interesting parts of the game enjoyable.
  3. Apr 19, 2011
    86
    Standard quests and a throwaway story can't dent the thrill of Rift's invasions, or the depth of its soul system. [May 2011, p.92]
  4. 70
    Solid MMO attracts players with vast and detailed game world and tested game mechanics but lacks really interesting quests and experiments. [Issue#203]

See all 59 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Negative: 37 out of 184
  1. Coming from EQ, DAoC, Warhammer, and WoW, this game seems to be a mixture of the best features from all of those games blended into one. The graphics look great on any system, but if you have a high-end rig, it really looks beautiful. It has been awhile since a MMO has sucked me in like RIFT has. I highly recommend it to gaming vets and newcomers alike. Give it a chance, you might like it. Expand
  2. Hand's down the best MMO at launch since WoW, speaking of WoW if you love it but now hate it take a vacation from Azeroth and come on down. after talking to a lot about the Cata launch this just may be the bigger change of pace you need with no hit to quality. it all feels familiar yet different. While far more drastic that Coke Vs Pepsi it is easily a matter of taste between the 2. Overall the game is nicely balanced both in terms of what you can do and what you charter can be an has potential for improvement. Expand
  3. I have written a short review on this game. A quick summary of why I gave it a score of 6: Technically wonderful with lovely graphics, smooth response and very minor glitches. However, gameplay feels a bit bland for long-time players of MMORPGs. Good effort from Trion.
    http://www.hopelesslygame.com/2011/04/entering-the-rift/
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  4. This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Alrite guys I'm going to break this down into simple sections based on PvP, PvE, whats available in the market and why I would give this game a 4 and why it would seem like a troll score compared to what others are saying.

    1: PvP. If you are buying rift for PvP, do not buy it. I cannot stress this enough. It is a PvE centric game with PvP tacked on in a horrible way that is horribly unbalanced. If you send me a message I will send you a link to show me deleting my top rank level cap Warrior for PvP. Warrior just cannot be used in PvP at end game. Its that simple. Other classes have had similiar nerfs/buffs completely changing your ability to play the game overnight with little to no community feedback before going live and even months after the change and hundreds of threads, they will not change a thing. The Second part of PVP - Gear. You gain gear by pvping, but the gear gap on the PvP is insane. I have seen players go afk in the highest tier gear vs people who are FORCED to fight them because of no tier seperation and not die to lower tier gear players only to have the player return, use a potion or skill, and then go about killing the 2-3 players that were on top of him for the last 30 seconds. You MUST go through this process in order to obtain gear and it can takeup weeks upon weeks of basically getting beaten from an unfair advantage until you are better. That is statistics speaking, some may say it isn't like that, it really is.

    2. PvE: For PvE, this game is not bad. It has horrible graphics and really bad rendering problems due to the water in the maps but I'm not going to comment on graphics and optimization because I'm not a tech junkie its not what you want to read about. The major draw for PVE is end game Raids and partying, and of course RIFTs what this game is named after. Raids: Simple, scripted encounters based on gear and hotbar setup just like other games of the genre. Not hard, not easy. Just a normal setup.
    Partying: Very easy, not even required until end game. Can solo most of the game and most players do.
    RIFTS: These will seem very 'random' and require a team at first. After reaching lvl 30 and being competent in how you go about PvE, Rifts are no longer requiring a team except for the final bosses which are extremely OP based on what class you are. The 'loot' they offer and other shinys are next to worthless compared to forced PvP and Raid end gear. Otherwise useless little things added to the game to try and attract people and if you play and enjoy rifting I'm not meaning to hurt your feelings, just pointing out that its a content void, like a death rift.


    What else is on the market: There are alot of other games and if you haven't tried some of the higher rated more fan related and better % of happy player games out there, I suggest you would go for that one before this one. This is a large mix of what is on the market, and while it is captivating for 50 hours, it becomes very stale. The developers also have no ability to speak to the playerbase and do not attempt to help them out or listen to their concerns at all. There are multiple posts with people deleting their highest tier characters and unsubscribing due to what they feel is unfair and the developers will not speak with the players or even attempt to fix anything. They post feedback threads and delete actual feedback posts and stick with the players agreeing that its not broken. I'm not speaking of troll posts, I'm speaking of posts of people who do the math and do care about the game.

    So like I said, its a decent game worth trying if you have nothing else. It is not worth staying subscribed to for long and I believe most of the 10's on this website are lies and fake reviews written because if these people played as long as they said they did and play right now, they would not be posting that. Just check the public forums on the game site.
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See all 184 User Reviews