Originally Posted by Daxx

Well, played for about 10 hours yesterday (had the day off :P)

Initial impression? Exactly as you said. Meh. But it is a beta

I liked the character creation screen. Lots of options, something that's pretty lacking in WoW. I was able to create a pretty reasonable simulacrum of my own face, found that impressive.

Please correct me if this changes at the higher levels (I'm a level 10 Specialist atm) but I found it very hard to distinguish other players I don't know if its just because we are all humans, but I can't just look at someone and tell at a glance what class/specialty they are. The armor customization seems very nice (colors, variety) but at a distance, everyone still looks the same.

Combat is very tactical compared to just about any other MMO I've played. Aiming, while assisted, benefits greatly if you can actually aim. Headshots are pretty important, but not like a one-shot kill. The variety of weapons (Physical, Electrical, Viral, etc) gives a nice variety to opponents. Some things can be immune to Physical, but very weak to Electrical. Found that out the hard way :P

My only gripe with combat is that a LOT of your combat seems shooter based. I'd like to see a First Person perspective option to help with immersion.

I haven't had any experience with the group play. Solo'd a couple of the instance missions, but they are defiantly designed for a group. Ninja'd a bit, got my ass kicked soundly more often. I'd really like to experience the group dynamic before I pass on the game.

You only really get "specialized" armor at lvl 15+. As TR is designed to do, everyone is largely the same at the lower levels. Once you hit lvl 15 and start picking up Graviton, BioArmor, etc. you REALLY start seeing some cool stuff. Also, you can fully customize the coloring of your armor with spray paint, which is a neat trick if you havent tried it.

Ther is talk of being able to make your helmet invisible so you can see your face. That might help.

Generally though, as you keep playing the game you get a feel for what each player is capable of just by looking at them. The closer to 50 you get the more definitive this look is.

I agree somewhat about the 1st person perspective, but IMO this game is better served in its current perspective. There are a lot of nooks and crannies to navigate, along with cover to jump into, and a low gravity. Having 1st person would be kind of a pain. Especially since I like admiring my groovy armor. 3rd person also has the advantage of moving the camera w/o moving the toon, which is much better to take in the terrain.

Nevertheless, if they had a freelook option with TrackIR capability then I'd be all for the 1st person.