Lineage

Lineage, online multiplayer fantasy role-playing game released by South Korean game developer NCsoft in 1998. Although American versions of Lineage have been released, the game’s core following is in South Korea, where the company boasts of having more than three million subscribers. Lineage allows players to battle one another or complete missions and develop their characters through castle siege or duel-style combat.

Lineage players begin by selecting a class of character. Playable types include elf, dark elf, knight, prince, and magician. Each class has different attributes and abilities, and each starts in a different area of the Lineage universe. As characters are developed, players form alliances, or blood pledges, to gain advantages in the game. Lineage features an advanced “marriage” system, in which players can obtain rings and complete a marriage ceremony. Being married allows a player to teleport to their spouse’s location.

One of Lineage’s unique and enjoyable wrinkles is its pet system. Players can obtain pets of many types, ranging from killer rabbits to beagles, and train them to their specific needs. The real-life difficulty and time needed to train an animal is translated into the game. Lineage also sets itself apart from other similar games by putting increased focus on player-versus-player (PvP) combat. Lineage II, a prequel that drew on many of the same elements that made the original game popular, was released in 2003.