While abysmal to veteran MMO players, Runescape proves not only to be a time-killer, but rather a time-waster as well.
The game essentially revolves around a skill system primarily focused on repetitive grinding, lackluster combat, and a few minor additions here and there to mix things up a bit. That's not to say there isn't alot of content available: there's plenty to do. The main problem? Mowing your grass, handwashing dishes, and vacuuming your entire house are all tasks that prove to be miles more enjoyable and productive than any of the skills Runescape will ever have to offer. It's not to say that there's no thrill injected into your bloodstream when you get to that next level that you've been working on for three days straight, it's just that along the way, it gives no joy or excitement at all, aside from the few battles you may have with a kid named something along the likes of "sk8ercutie123" that may choose to blatantly display his ignorance by shouting a few pathetic insults that will normally include the word "noob" at the end of every line that is written.
Through the years, many changes have been made to Runescape's gameplay. Unfortunately, none of them really make the game any more fun than it was (in some ways, they make it even less enjoyable). The removal of the "Wilderness" (the general way of player versus player combat) was a major disappointment for a wide variety of players, and the limit of 3,000gp per trade in the trade system striked some players odd at first, and the Grand Exchange seems to be a poor imitation of World of Warcraft's Auction House.
Graphically, the game is obviously unappealing to the eyes. One may argue that the "high-detail update" made the game look alot better than before, and while this is partially true, it still is nothing in comparison to modern MMO's today. While it may look impressive for being java-based, it obviously was by no means intended to be a graphical powerhouse. The music is simply annoying and uninspired, and the sound effects are terrible at best. Though even if the game were comparable to Everquest 2 or Age of Conan graphically and audibly, the bleak gameplay would bring it down tremendously.
The questing system in Runescape is admittedly much different from other MMO's on the market. Whether this is a good or a bad thing is ultimately the player's opinion. The majority of the Free Quests are creative, but nonetheless boring and tedious to play through, and the Member's Quests rarely prove any differently.
As stated before, the combat system is very weak and uninteresting to partake in. While there many items available to equip and experiment with to improve your character's abilities, the grinding will never cease, and the thrill of leveling up will only last a very short while. The magic system has been improved with items that make it more accessible to new players, and the same applies to the ranged system, though they still are essentially no more ecstatic than the melee combat system is. One positive side about Runescape's combat system is it is open-ended and steadily-paced; The negative side is that if you choose to partake in open-endedness, you may find your character's ability in combat may be remarkably lower than others who choose to stick to one primary combat option.
If you've never played this game before, you needn't bother. If you already have and are considering rejoining, the changes may disappoint you, and though quite a bit of new content is available, the skills themselves are unexciting to increase. If you're looking for a game to kill a few hours, it might not be such a bad choice, though getting wrapped up in it will show to be a very regrettable decision in the end.