So far in the game I have only been able to play one instance map, but it's a great one. The monsters you encounter are smart, with strong AI featured, especially the bosses. As I mentioned before, I normally don't like this kind of game. I prefer knowing other people are out in the world I'm escaping to. 

That being said, the quick 30-minute instance is a perfect way to get together with friends and enjoy a quick run through something. If you have a lot of fun, you can run the instance multiple times, trying for better loot with a harder setting. Everything is focused around the get in, have fun, and get out mentality. I think today's MMO gamers are looking for just such a game. The first game I remember using this sort of system was City of Heroes, but they also included a persistent world. With Vindictus there is only the group instance and the towns. There is only jumping in and fighting some monsters, and then moving on.

As far as I can tell from what I've seen of the closed beta, vindictus gold does what it's intended to do. It doesn't pretend it's a bigger game than it is, and it doesn't lure you in with unrealistic expectations. From the moment you load into the game, you can tell this is about intensely concentrated PvE combat, and little else. The game is intensely beautiful, with some of the best graphics in a video game to date, and the developers have made some smart decisions as to how they handle server load in response to such a high graphic quality. 

The next beta phase should be beginning shortly, and no doubt there will be the opportunity to explore the other classes, see what high level content looks like, and see the other types of instance maps. So far, though, I have to say, I'm incredibly impressed. I can't wait to see more.

From Mandifesto's Blog