Zhu Xian: I came, I saw, I … got disappointed

Mental note: Don’t play closed beta if you’re not up for big bumps and bruises that might disappoint you faster than you can say “Ugh.” So much for the excitement.

And excited I was, to play Zhu Xian Online, the latest MMORPG import to the Philippines of IP E-Games from Beijing-based Perfect World Co. Ltd.

Now, my excitement’s gone. Find out why after the jump.

First, I’d like to clarify that the primary source of my disappointment with Zhu Xian is high expectations for an online game that’s supposedly an upgrade of Perfect World, Perfect World Co. Ltd.’s first hit MMORPG. Second, the views expressed in this article are solely those of the author (yes, that’s me) and are not intended to sway wannabe immortals from jumping on the bandwagon (heck, I’m still playing the game despite my so-called “disappointment”).

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s go to my list of disappointments:

Frustrating first day. Aside from patching problems (that is, if a patch was needed in the first place), connecting to Zhu Xian Philippines during that first hour (yeah, the hour after the hour of supposed 5:30 p.m. opening) was hell. A patch fix was, just like the launch of the game, released late, and instructions on how to go about downloading and using the patcher were close to non-existent. Hey, I’m not the only one who complained.

Absence of customization present in another Perfect World Co. Ltd. game. I expected Zhu Xian would be a little—or even completely—like Perfect World in the sense that character customization played a key role in customer satisfaction. In the current, closed beta character creation screen, you’re only given around six types of hair and faces. What makes matters worse is the fact that you can’t change the color of your character’s hair without changing how it looks. What’s even more frustrating than that? Well, when you equip a headgear, your character’s freakin’ hairdo changes. No, it’s not like a hair makeover that makes grandmothers look like hot teenagers. In other words, the ‘do change is not flattering.

Player has no control over attributes or stats. Yes, you read that right. I know, I know … it’s not the only MMORPG on the market (Granado Espada comes to mind) that does away with this feature, that of allowing players to distribute points to boost particular attributes like strength, agility, and intelligence. So winning in duels, PK matches, and other player versus player fare boils down to who has the better equipment, upgraded skills, and faster fingers. Again, lack of customization.

Difficulty: Easy … Too Easy. “I feel no pressure at all,” I heard (or rather I read or saw) an MMORPG player say a few months ago in response to trashtalk coming from an opposing camp. It’s applicable to PvP and GvG matches, it’s also applicable to the difficulty setting of Zhu Xian. I’m pressured to level, yes, because I want to see how my character turns out, but leveling is a breeze because the monsters are pushovers. Has someone tinkered with the monsters’ aggressiveness? I mean, in the day or two I’ve been playing the game, I’ve only come across one aggressive monster, and it’s all bark, no bite.

Well, I’m gonna stop here. You guys might start to think Zhu Xian is a bad game. It’s not. I’ll just attribute my disappointments to birth pains and closed beta blues.