Ten Level Test is the new Eurogamer feature series in which MMOs compete for our love in a knockout competition. We pair them off, play each for ten levels, and then uninstall the one we had least fun with. For a full explanation of the rules and quite why we should attempt this madness, and for an introduction to all eight contenders in the first Ten Level Test - EverQuest II, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Lineage II, Final Fantasy XI, Star Wars Galaxies, City of Heroes, Guild Wars and Dungeons & Dragons Online.
Both games offer much more limited cosmetic customisation than the Western RPG fan has come to expect, relying instead on their strongly individual, but rather inflexible, character art. Both also have only a small selection of classes available at the start, with specialisation being delivered gradually through advancement trees or secondary roles later in the game.
Lineage II is racial menu is quintessentially Korean - that is, it sounds like standard-issue fantasy, but looks like a headlong crash between nineties American comics, Japanese manga, Louis XIV rococo religious art and a Norwegian Goth club. You can be a Human floppy-fringed fop, an Elf floppy-fringed fop, a Dark Elf dominatrix in a bustier, a strangely handsome Orc with chiselled cheekbones and cornrows, or a Kamael, which is a kind of one-winged, fallen-angel Goth-tart. Only the Dwarves look like you'd expect - apart from the females, who are pigtailed manga chicks. The character models are crisp and highly detailed, but you can hardly change them at all.
We have Final Fantasy XI gold and cheap Final Fantasy XI Gold. You can buy FFXI Gil now!