The original Lineage was wildly popular. In Asia. But despite at least two different attempts to push into North America, Lineage simply couldn't find a foothold. It turns out that there are some fairly striking differences of playstyle and game preference between the West and the East, and the original Lineage just couldn't quite get the twain to meet. Perhaps because of the system requirements, Koreans, Taiwanese, and Chinese have – at least until recently – seemed to prefer two-dimensional graphics, and they don't seem as hell-bent on micro-personalizing their characters as Westerners. The original Lineage had only a small handful of character types. NCsoft reasoned, almost certainly correctly, that it would never make headway outside Asia unless it gave us 3D graphics and the ability to create unique characters. Lineage II mostly handles this much with aplomb. Certainly, Lineage II is much more recognizable and comfortable for Westerners than its predecessor. But even a few days in the game world is enough to realize that there are yet other bridges to build or that, perhaps, some gaps simply can't be crossed.