Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Gorgeous MMOG offers challenging siege play.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

Find out more

Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

Find out more

Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that violent combat is an integral part of Lineage II, and players will attack and kill computer and human-controlled opponents with swords and other medieval weaponry. Players can kill other players at will, but receive a penalty for it. There is no blood. Parents also should be aware that costumes can be racy and players can take off some female characters' clothes down to very revealing lingerie. Like all MMOGs, Lineage II is an online game and online communication can be unpredictable. Parents should take note that Lineage II requires a monthly subscription fee of $14.99.

  • Open player-versus-player system can promote antisocial behavior. Players learn strategy and teamwork in siege warfare.
  • Bloodless fantasy violence. Players kill computer-controlled monsters and fight other players to the death with medieval-style weaponry, i.e. swords, bows, etc., and magical powers.
  • Character costuming can be racy. Dark Elf females in particular can be undressed down to erotic lingerie, with naked buttocks and lower part of breast visible.
  • Online interactions have potential for unwanted topics. Profanity filters are easily circumvented.
  • Not applicable.
  • No overt chemical abuse. Characters retrieve herbs which temporarily confer improved abilities such as attack speed or damage dealt.

What's it about?

LINEAGE II, a beautiful online role playing game for Windows PCs, puts players in the center of a complex story line set in a very dangerous world. Players join the world by selecting a fantasy character to play with – e.g. Human, Elf, Dwarf, Dark Elf – along with a character class that possesses magical or fighting abilities. At its most basic level, play consists of attacking creatures and players and taking money and items they drop.

It sounds simple, but Lineage II is not for the unwary. Unlike many player-versus-player (PvP) optional MMOGs, players can be killed by other players at any time, for any reason. Murder has its consequences: the killer receives negative karma and becomes "chaotic," meaning that other players will not be penalized for attacking him. Computer-controlled guards will also target and kill chaotic players on sight.


Is it any good?

 

Aside from the open PvP, the heart of Lineage II is its siege warfare. Advanced players in a clan may occupy their own castle, and other players may lay siege to the castle and attempt to wrest it from the controlling party. The occupying clan receives numerous benefits, including income from taxation and better productivity of goods. Because of this, sieges are governed by rules to ensure fair play. Castle sieges must be scheduled in advance, and last only two hours.

The quality of artwork in Lineage II surpasses that of most online fantasy games by a large margin. The landscapes and structures are gorgeous, the characters are strikingly detailed, and the colors are strong and bold without being garish, which makes the whole game seem much like a well-drawn graphic novel. Years after its release, it still looks great.

Parents should be cautioned that characters, both male and female, may promote unrealistic body images. In particular, some of the female characters can be undressed down to what can only loosely be considered a bra, thong and thigh-highs: in short, erotic lingerie.


Sign Up Message
Sign up for our weekly newsletter
Each week we send a customized newsletter to our parent and teen subscribers. Parents can customize their settings to receive recommendations and parent tips based on their kids’ ages. Teens receive a version just for them with the latest reviews and top picks for movies, video games, apps, music, books, and more.
Please enter an email address.
Please check your email address for possible typos.
Sorry, you must be 13 or older to subscribe to our weekly newsletter.
Sign me up!

What families can talk about

Families can talk about online safety with their teenage children. Why shouldn't you give out personal details online? Is everyone always who they claim to be? What does effect does online anonymity have on people's behavior? Families can discuss heroic fantasy and its sources in literature. What is it about Lineage II's take on fantasy literature that makes it so popular abroad?


This review was written by Dwight Odelius
Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
 

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Dwight Odelius
Platforms:Windows
Available online?Available online
Genre:Massively Multi-player Online Game (MMOG)
Developer:NCsoft
Release date:April 27, 2004
Price:$19.99
ESRB rating:T for Violence

This review was written by Dwight Odelius

Contact us to give us more feedback on our learning ratings.

 

Review It

Share your review with others

Hang on! You need to be a member to post your review.
A safe community is important to us. Please observe our guidelines.

Tell us what you think about our new Learning Ratings. We value your feedback.


About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

Great alternatives handpicked by our editors

 

vote now

Will you play Lineage II: The Chaotic Chronicle?


Already played it? What do you think?

 

Been There? Tell us about it