PLATFORM Multi BATTLE SYSTEM INTERACTION ORIGINALITY STORY MUSIC & SOUND VISUALS CHALLENGE Adjustable COMPLETION TIME ~40 Hrs/Week Until Dead OVERALL + You get money - Boring time sink - Annoying bosses - Repetitive quests - Long server queues - Bland environments Click here for scoring definitions

   Work is a game that most all of us have played at some point or another. It is the RPG that keeps food on our tables and clothes on our backs. Most of us are playing Work because we have to, not because we want to. It's the MMO that sucks up all of our time and leaves us with little to show for...which is strangely enough like most MMOs, however we can actually earn money from playing instead of losing it. It is still a major time sink.

   There is actually very little to Work's story. It tends to be hours and hours of repetition with occasional breaks for other side quests in which you hunt for food or just chat with your guild. Guilds are an interesting aspect of Work, as you usually have very little control over who your guildmates are. If you are lucky enough to have started your own Work guild, then you are at least able to pick and choose who joins, but often players are completely worthless and quit shortly after starting if they are not getting as much loot as they think they should or are having to do more than they want to do. For most of us, we're stuck with our guildmates. Some are lucky and have a good group, but others are just worthless drains on the group or are irritating and bothersome. Moving up the guild ladder can also take months or years depending on the situation, but either way, progress tends to be slow. Guild admission requirements are also very strict, most having a mandatory attendance policy for all events.

   As with MMOs, raids are a major aspect of the game. Work has several, including popular raids such as "The Staff Meeting" or "The Group Project". The Staff Meeting is a quicker raid that only takes an hour or so to complete, but is often mind-numbingly boring, as the same enemies are fought over and over and there is little variety in the quests. For those unlucky enough to be forced into The Group Project, they will be at this raid for days, weeks, months, or even years. This raid will test all of your endurance, as you'll battle not only enemies, but possible even surprise attacks by your own party members. Both of these raids are very punishing and people would be advised to avoid them if at all possible.

Bosses are best avoided, not fought

   Raid bosses are totally unlike those found in other MMOs. In most every case, these bosses are not to be fought. They must be either outwitted or avoided, or you will be forced to complete mindless quests for them. Very often these are quests that they could complete themselves, but are so boring that they pass them off to you to work on for them. If you are brave (or foolish) enough to fight a boss head on, there are very few successful known tactics, mainly because these bosses have cheap and highly damaging counter attacks that can destroy your character in one blow. If you are defeated by a boss in Work, you have to join another server and the queue lines are really long right now due to server cuts.

   Other basic quests are fairly easy to complete, unless you happen to have gotten into one for which you are not properly leveled or equipped. Thankfully for noobs, there are often lots of veteran characters around to help out with quests, though there are cases where the end game cycle has drained them and they'd much rather not even be there any more. For those lucky enough to make it to max level, they can retire their character, but often it will be too late for them to do much else outside of the game. Work truly is one of the greatest time sinks ever.

The battle system in action

   The visual presentation of Work really varies depending on which server you're on and what guild you're in, but often times the environments are dull and boring, especially considering that most people will be forced to grind the same areas for extended periods of time. Sound effects are very realistic. Voice acting is very natural, though you will occasionally find a character with a voice you can't stand. There is little to no background music in most areas, but there are mods to install a custom soundtrack if you are lucky enough to meet the system requirements.

   Work goes on forever for most people and for many unlucky people, they will be grinding until they keel over. On the plus side, the difficulty level is variable, so people can adjust it to their own specifications. Just be careful not to play on easy for too long, as players that have been playing on hard might come along and gank your character and take your place in the guild.

   Overall, Work is a very dull and boring MMO, but almost everyone has to play it. If there is anyway that you can find a way to avoid playing Work and make it comfortably, I would highly recommend doing so. Work is dull and very repetitive, but at least you don't have to pay to play.