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2007 LOOKS LIKE IT might be shaping up to be a great year for gamers. A year filled with promise where gamers will find themselves delighted by the likes of some of the flashiest and coolest games to be released - everything from your quintessential FPS (Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Halo 3, Crysis) to the war genre strategy titles (Supreme Commander, Command and Conquer 3).

But the special thing about 2007 that we're excited about is the delectable myriad of RPGs and MMORPGs scheduled for release. Leading the way this year, hot on the heels of the World of Warcraft expansion Burning Crusades, comes Vanguard Saga of Heroes which boasts an entirely new gaming experience never before seen in the RPG realm. It all sounds nice and tasty, doesn't it?

The first exceptionally good thing about Vanguard is (and we're just dying to say this): HORSES AT LEVEL 10!!!! At level 10!!! If you've ever played EverQuest or even World of Warcraft, you'll know why we are so excited about this. Back in the day when we played EQ, horses were so expensive you couldn't hope to even think of purchasing one until you were well into the high-end game (level 40+).

To own a mount in games like this was literally like telling the whole world you're as rich and affluent as Paris Hilton, except instead of a silly looking puppy dog that looks more like a rat, you own a beast of unparalleled magnificence that can carry you through the darkest and most dangerous of KOS (kill on sight) territories with ease. And all for a very small and tidy sum of 12 silver pieces!

In EQ you'd be looking at a nice, cool sum of around 20,000 platinum pieces (that's a lot of trading and/or xp grinding). And yes, just like every other game, horses follow the same template in Vanguard. You may purchase faster horses when you have more coins in your pocket to spend. But still, having a mount to traverse the vast world of Vanguard at level 10 is simply unheard of. Much kudos to SOE for doing that!

Horses and social status aside, our first impressions were, for the most part, positive. We pre-ordered the digital download of the game (which, by the way, is a monstrous 16 gig's worth of data) and we were playing at least three days before the European and US release last Tuesday. The digital download is worth $49.95 USD. The game does not release officially in NZ until 22^nd February. Do the math. We just wanted to be one of the first to play and experience the game without too many 'noob' gamer hassles. Beta testers have been saying a mixture of good and bad (not entirely unexpected).

From a gameplay perspective, the game is buggy. Frustrating bugs such as the in-game map system failed to work at the most crucial of moments, mobs that you're attacking showed a health bar that doesn't change (even when it's dead) and probably the worst bug to date was losing our saved character's experience after logging off and logging back on. Thankfully, they fixed that bug as soon as they could.

Sony Online Entertainment have partnered up with new kid on the block Sigil Games and Deep Silver on this beast and as far as game development goes (teething bugs aside), Vanguard Saga of Heroes looks better than any other MMORPG to date, including WoW (and yes, I will probably burn in Hell for all eternity for saying that, but it's the truth).

The game is more than playable and enjoyable even with the bugs. The graphics engine (Unreal 3 engine) alone is something to ooh and ah about but we all know that a game of this magnitude has to have a little more going for it other than being able to boast of good looking high elves that don't have sharp pointy bits where their shoulders should be. Yes, Vanguard looks sexy and the music is just as smooth with all sorts of snazzy and even ethnic tunes to boogie or kill and maim to.

We won't go so far as to say the Dragons are hot but we will talk about the races. And as a side note, if you are thinking of purchasing this game, make sure you read the minimum specifications on the website, then ignore that and focus on the recommended ones. This game takes a seriously grunty machine to be able to run it, and that's not even with all of the settings set to high. We have arrived at the new era of PC video gaming. If you want to play with the big boys you have to get the grunty toys, full stop.

There are many different races to choose from that fall into three categories (divided up by geography). EverQuest fans will undoubtedly roll their eyes when they get to see some of the races in the game (which we know are better looking clones of their EQ counterparts). There are three different types of human to choose from with the token racial representations ever present; gnomes, dwarves, high elves, wood elves, orcs, goblins and the shady dark elves. Let's face it; a game like this just wouldn't be able to exist without them. There are other races that are very similar to those in EverQuest; feline type, erudite type with dark skin and barbarian type. With the addition of half giants, Vanguard seems to have all of the bases covered.

The classes in the game also follow the classic RPG template of paladin, warrior, necromancer, cleric, rogue, ranger, druid, sorcerer, monk and bard. There are also sub-classes of these: disciple, blood mage, dread knight (opposite of the paladin class), shaman and psionicist. We started off playing as a female Dark Elf Dread Knight. Usually we play casters but we wanted to try out how the other half live. So far, so good. We're very impressed with the combat side of the game play. The Dread Knight can use magic and weapons which is a nifty combination if you know how to multitask. On top of that, the new combat techniques called 'Chain Attacks' allow your character to group together multiple attacks pumping out copious amounts of damage on your opponent. Yep, it's good to be kicking ass and taking names.

One of the newest features in Vanguard Saga of Heroes has to be the introduction of the 'Three Spheres'. These consist of diplomacy, adventuring and crafting. This gives your character a choice to pursue a set purpose or path in life (adventuring is the norm where your character ventures out and kills things to gain levels, experience, loot and glory). Diplomacy and crafting give you the option to advance through the game using very different skills and abilities.

Each character can choose to adopt either path or a combination of all three. We have yet to really try the diplomacy path and at the moment the crafting path is also proving to be a tad challenging without further reading and investigation but adventuring is probably the easiest path to travel if you're an absolute beginner or just wanting to get a taste for the game. It could be quite possible to devote your time solely to playing one of the three spheres. The way we understood this feature to work was so that players would have an alternative to adventuring (as opposed to repetitious XP grinding and raiding). We have yet to devote a character to doing this but rest assured, it's in the works.

Creating your character in the game is ultimately the biggest buzz of playing a brand spanking new RPG. The depth of customisation in Vanguard is superb. Everything from changing the angle of your character's lips to the depth of the brow line is possible. And the level of detail really is something to be seen to be believed. Although many of the base character templates are the same, you can change some of the finer details of your character's clothes and face so that you can really create a genuinely unique character in a world of potentially thousands of players. So far, this is definitely one of the game highlights.

Quests in the game are set up like 'chain quests' where one quest leads to another and so on. This is definitely the easiest way to handle questing and the quests in Vanguard will have you levelling up in no time. You could probably get from level 1 to 10 in less than a day if you're a seasoned gamer (and if you overlook the need to eat or sleep). And just like any other good RPG, Vanguard will suck up your time so if you're someone who has a real life to attend to, make sure you make your gaming sessions count. You won't want to be rushed playing this little gem.

"The only limits are your own," boasts the official site. Our first impressions of the game are that the possibilities to develop your character really are only limited by the individual. You get out what you put in. There's no doubt that Vanguard will certainly add a page to the history books of great RPGs for recent times - but totally rewrite it? We'll have to play for a few months yet before we decide to lift the bar quite that high. We think it's fairly safe to say that if you're a fan of RPG games, Vanguard Saga of Heroes will certainly be a joy to play and probably a game you wouldn't want to miss out on. For everyone else, well, there is WoW :)

Game Features:

• A vast and detailed world: Explore two large continents and an archipelago riddled with dungeons and adventures.
• Create and customise your character: In a world of thousands, carve your own unique destiny and appearance choosing one of 19 different races from Orcs and Goblins to Dwarves and Elves.
• 15 professions to choose from: Choose from one of 15 exciting professions including Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Psionicist, Bard, and Rogue.
• Dynamic reactive combat system: Build chains of special attacks and reactions with Openers, Bridges, and powerful Finishing moves.
• Dozens of unique mounts: You can race into battle on your warhorse, command the skies on the back of your dragon or join friends and embark on a sea-based adventure to discover faraway lands.
• Talk your way to the top: As a diplomat, cunning words are your most powerful weapon as you curry favour in centres of power.
• Interactive trade skills: Collect essential materials and use skills such as blacksmithing, alchemy and ship building to create valuable and powerful items.
• Player houses: Make Telon feel like home by staking your claim on a piece of land and furnishing your own house with unique items.
  

Show me the screenshots!