What To Play?
Yeah, I am still waiting for my new computer to arrive. Not being able to play any game for more than a month is making my fingers itch. I have, however, had plenty of time to think about what games I want to play going forward. I am a litle torn on the subject.
My World of Warcraft subscription is still active, even though it is not being used right now. The easy road says to go back to playing it, but I am getting urges to play other games. I have a lifetime subscription to Lord of the Rings Online, a game I have not logged into for a long time. The urge to play LOTRO has been heightened lately by the fact that I have been listening to the LOTR audiobooks again. I do this every couple of years because I love the books so much. My only complaint with LOTRO is that I grew weary with all the quests, but if you are not questing, you are wasting your time. The experience gained from grinding mobs is a pittance compared to what you receive from a quest.
Another option is the Sony Station Pass. As you probably know, the $30 a month Station Pass allows you to play any of Sony’s MMO’s that you own the software to. Everquest will ever be my first MMO love. I played Everquest 2 for awhile, but none of my friends followed me there, so I gave it up. I also played Pirates of the Burning Sea for a short while. It grew stale fast. Star Wars Galaxies is another that I played from launch, but the game destroying NGE update had me running for the exits. I tried Vanguard again, but as I mentioned on this blog earlier, it still is way too buggy for me.
It could be because I am older now, but nothing in the MMO space gets me very excited these days. After playing so many of them, it all seems like I’ve been there, done that. I don’t see much innovation anymore. Are all the great ideas used up? I don’t think so, but you can’t tell that from the latest crop of games to be released. Conan, Warhammer, and Darkfall are more of the same tired ideas that have been used over and over again. The only thing that sets Darkfall apart is the fact that it is so hardcore that most people will never want to play it.
So what is a veteran noob supposed to do? I think I will start from scratch in LOTRO and see how it goes. I still need to decide if I stay with WoW or go with the Station Pass. My computer isn’t due for another couple of weeks, so I have plenty of time to decide.
Read MoreRemembering Ultima Online 2 – The Game That Never Was
What could have been…
This was made back around the 2001/2002 timeframe. I don’t know who put the video together, but they did an incredible job. It also looks like they were doing some great things with motion capture.
Read MoreThe Only Thing That Can Dethrone World of Warcraft: Sex
I have returned to working more soul-crushing hours at work, so I haven’t had much time for playing games lately. The fact that Vanguard keeps screwing me over hasn’t exactly drawn me to the computer. That doesn’t, however, keep me from thinking about the games that I play.
Gaming companies keep trying to find the right formula that will allow a game to become as popular as World of Warcraft. They have tried emulating WoW, being completely different from WoW, and trying to be something in between. None of them has worked as well as they had hoped. Well, I have the secret sauce that will make a game even more popular that World of Warcraft. The game companies have shied away from it, but if they want to make the huge dollars, someone will need to do it. What is it, you ask? Why, an MMO based on sex, of course.
Everyone knows that sex sells. Heck, it sells everything from Barbie dolls to fried chicken. Since this is a fact, I am suprised that a company hasn’t jumped on this for a game. I mean, just imagine a high-budget MMO with stellar graphics geared towards the perv in all of us. The social gaming potential is staggering, and in my opinion, the reason why a great many people play and stay a long time.
Imagine, if you will, a 350 pound behemoth, sitting at his computer in a basement somewhere. He will never get laid in the real life. But, what if he could create a customized avatar that made him look like a 20 year old stud muffin? Or reverse the idea, and a female 300 pound goliath could make her avatar look like a young Pamela Anderson. They could meet in a bar, have a few digitized drinks, flirt in text or voice chat, then go back to his/her apartment and do the dirty deed. The stellar graphical engine would allow for some amazing visuals as they live out their wildest fantasies. You can’t tell me that wouldn’t draw a ton (no pun intended) of paying customers.
Oh, but don’t stop there. Design amazing virtual strip clubs, malls, and sex toy shops to titillate their every desire. Allow them to wear whatever they want, whenever they want, so that they can live out an online life they would never be able (unwilling) to do in real life.
The biggest draw, of course, would be the sex. Allow players to have consensual sex in any way they see fit in high graphical detail. It would draw paying customers by the millions.
If you want to be king of the mountain and topple World of Warcraft, a porn MMO is the only thing that has any chance of doing so for quite some time. Will a company be bold enough to do this? I doubt it, but if they did, I would love to be on the design team!
Read MoreDumpster Diving For Tabula Rasa – Literally
From Kokatu, this picture shows where the left over game boxes of Tabula Rasa go to die. Myself and most others who tried the game didn’t like it very much. Still, I always hate to see an MMO fail. I wouldn’t mind having one of those boxes to keep for old times sake.
Star Trek Online
I am a Star Trek fan, but I have not followed the development of Star Trek Online. I seem to automatically assume that any new MMO that comes along is drek warmed over. Lately, I have not been proven wrong. Just see Conan and Warhammer for proof.
Cryptic, the company making Star Trek Online, recently released information on the first of many ships to be found in the game. The NX91001 is a nice looking starship and it has peaked my interest in this game. The gameplay trailer also looks fantastic.
Will Star Trek Online suck like so many MMO’s these days? Only time will tell, but I am now very interested where I once was indifferent.
Read MorePirates Of The Burning Sea: A Sinking Ship
I saw over at Tobold’s, which links to the official site, that Pirates of the Burning Sea will be merging servers so that the total available will drop from eleven to four. That is sad news indeed, but I can’t say it wasn’t expected.
I hate to see any MMO struggle, but Pirates of the Burning Sea just doesn’t offer enough to keep players interested in the long term. For one thing, avatar combat is absolutely horrible and woefully inadequate. The end-game is also lacking in that you basically have only two options: port contention or PVP.
I played Pirates for only a very short time. While I loved the graphics, the gameplay did not pull me into the game in any way. I know of several other players who ended up in the same boat (pun intended).
So now Sony has several MMO’s that are struggling. Pirates, Vanguard, Planetside, and The Matrix are all hurting for subscribers. It makes me wonder just how many subscribers it takes to make these games worth the expense of keeping them running. Maybe it is much lower than we all think.
On the upside, Vanguard seems to be getting a second wind. More and more people are trying it out again. I will chronicle in upcoming posts about some things I have experienced with it lately, including a move to a different server. More to come on that later.
–Wolfen
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