My thoughts on all things in the universe, NOTHING excluded.

• 5Apr 09

  the joy of the first time re: MMOs

  The first MMO I ever played was EverQuest on a friend's account. I only ever played it one time, but I played it for 12 hours until 6 am the next morning. It was my first taste of an MMO and I had to have one. Unfortunately, I was still in grade school, and therefore, penniless, and my parents would not pay the $15/month that was required to play. So I was forced to wait. My interest in MMOs subsided for quite some time, until a few years later when I heard of World of Warcraft. The same friend and I vowed to play it together, and once it came out, we did so. I was hooked. I got to 60 in no time flat, began raiding, killed Nafarian, and my interest did not wane in the least until the release of TBC. The same, however, cannot be said of my friend, who lackidaisically got to level 50, but was never really into the game like I was. I was quite confused, because this was the same friend who spent 14 hours a day playing EverQuest the past two previous summers. His explanation was that he simply wasn't interested. I have since come to the conclusion that this is common to many, if not all MMO players. The first MMO is simply a lot more fun than MMOs played after. I have noticed the same phenomenon since then in my attempts to play LOTRO, Warhammer, and Guild Wars. I, like my friend, played these games fairly deep, getting to near-endgame content in all three, but it felt like I was simply going through the motions. The magic simply wasn't there: I wasn't enjoying it nearly as much as I did World of Warcraft. Then I thought it was simply that these games simply weren't as good as WoW, and I just had to wait for the right MMO, and perhaps this is true, but the similarities between my situation and my friend's situation are too many to make this conclusion. I think that after the first MMO, the magic is gone, and you simply can't enjoy another as much as you did the first. I sincerely hope this is not the case, and I will (hopefully) never stop trying to find that MMO. The most likely upcoming MMO has to be SW:The Old Republic. The combination of a fantastic developer with a fantastic IP and a fantastic genre simply cannot be ignored. I am hopeful that it is simply that WoW was just a really great game, but at this point the only conclusion I can reach is that the first time is simply better than subsequent times.

  That's my input, thanks for reading =)

  • Posted Apr 5, 2009 12:28 pm GMT
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• 5Jun 08

  Top Five Best Games Ever

  5. Half-Life 2 - PC/Xbox/Xbox360

  Starring Gordon Freeman, this game tells the tale of the liberation of City 17. The game itself was spectacular with graphics ahead of its time and inventive weapons like the gravity gun, but what made it truly great was the engaging experience the game yielded. I don't know about you, but in Ravenholm, I got freaked out every time I heard those fast zombies crawling on the gutters, or, worse yet, leaping towards my head. Oh, and those headcrabs creeped me out too.

  4. Metal Gear Solid -PSX/GC

  Metal Gear Solid's story centers on Solid Snake, a retired soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons disposal facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit. He attempts to liberate their two hostages, the head of DARPA and the president of a major arms manufacturer, and stops the terrorists from launching a nuclear strike. Snake also confronts and defeats members of FOXHOUND, including his clone, Liquid Snake. How they were clones when one was a raging homosexual and the other was a protagonizing badass, I don't know.

  3. Mass Effect - PC/Xbox360

  From the very beginning, with the customization of your character, the game feels like a great experience. The specialties in the game greatly modify how you play the game. Playing a Soldier makes the game a run&gun 3PS, playing an Infiltrator makes you do some direct damage via special abilties, and playing an Adept does some indirect damage and special debuffs like lifting them into the air or throwing them against a wall. The game's story is the first true RPG experience in a long, loooooong time. The musical score of this game is nothing short of spectacular, the combat system is a little eh but it doesn't take away from the overall experience. The best part? Its gonna be a trilogy using the same character from the first game. =O

  2. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - PC/Xbox360/PS3

  This game was simply massive the world, the quests, and the expansions are just more content than you could ever use. The original game featured over 200 hours of gameplay, including 4 guilds that each encompass a few dozen hours to reach the top of. Although every expansion was not spectacular (horse armor? wtf) Shivering Isles in my opinion makes up for it because it adds 30 hours of gameplay (yes, the expansion alone is longer than Mass Effect) and another interesting guild known as the Court of Madness. Bethesda made a keeper with this one, and I can't wait to see what they do with Fallout 3.

  1. Final Fantasy VII - PSX

  The greatest game in the legendary Final Fantasy series, it tells the tale of a crazy evil dude getting PWNd by good. Uh...it's a little more atypical than that. Along the way you raise giant birds, escape from an Ancient temple, and go on a date at a massive Japanese-style gaudy arcade. This game is probably the game I've spent the most time on outside of MMOs. I've beaten this game 3 or 4 times, every couple years I'll pick up the old controller and raise some chocobos and watch Aeris get stabbed, and go through the emotional rollercoaster that is Final Fantasy VII. With the other games/movies of the FF, the story is very rich and if for some reason you've never played this game, play it now. Advent Children was cool because it showed what a remake could look like. Dirge of Cerberus was meh but it did add some depth to the enigmatic Vincent Valentine. And finally Crisis Core added a prequel to FF7 and added depth to the character who Cloud stole his life from (sort of? I don't know), Zack.

  That's my input.

  Thanks for reading.

  • Posted Jun 5, 2008 9:29 am GMT
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• 19Jan 08

  Top Ten Most Wanted Xbox Games of 2008

  Just thought I'd put this list together, in part to have a list to be sure I don't miss any come release date -_O

  10) Fable 2

  Release Date: TBA 2008

  This game is supposedly massive, supposedly much improved from its predecessor, and supposedly includes a dog of your own. Notice the word supposedly. This game has the potential to be higher on this list, but I'm a little wary of Fable due to the combat system. From what I've seen, it seems very repetative and simple. Still, its scope could outweigh the potential flaws, as it includes giant worlds and an amped up morality system. Supposedly.

  9) Too Human

  Release Date: Q2 2008

  Hell, this game looks like a sci-fi, first person Diablo, which it may well turn out to be. If they do co-op campaigns and multiplayer alright this may well be a number 2 or 3 game of the year. And it is apparently very story based, a big plus (especially since it involves Norse gods). The graphics look BA, the class system looks BA, and the loot system looks BA. Honestly, right now I can't think of a bad word to say. Repetative battle system maybe? I don't know. This game needs more hype imo.

  8 ) Borderlands

  Release Date: Q4 2008

  Five hundred thousand. That is approximately the number of weapon variations to be included in this game. This apparently includes "every weapon in every shooter ever made." The scope of such a statement blows the mind. Does this mean being an AWP newb in Borderlands? Or Spartan Lasering it up in a spartan landscape? Though this does seem an unlikely statement, the sheer number of weapons insures the goodness of this game. Oh, also 4 player online co-op, hundreds of quests, arcing story, huge landscapes, and vehicular combat. Is it possible not to be pumped for this game?

  7) Ninja Gaiden II

  Release Date: TBA 2008

  Hehe, cutting off enemies limbs and watching them fight on makes me laugh. The battle system and graphics look phenomenal. Its got a good track record, and oodles of gore. Get owned all you bandwagony politicians. If this gets slapped with an AO i may crap myself. Slicing opponents literally limb from limb as a wicked awesome ninja? Sign me up.

  6) Army of Two

  Release Date: March 4, 2008

  One of the better games of the early year, the co-op will be awesome. Potential problems of having an incopetant partner, but I'll cope. With the wicked awesome co-op moves (running behind your shielded partner, shooting over the shield). Bascially, way more focused Gears of War with extra moves and PWNage. I'm pumped. The end.

  5) Soul Calibur 4

  Release Date: Q2 2008

  Yoda. WTF, but FTW also. Whoa, they use the same letters...Anyway, the game with the golden track record now boasts its fourth installment with over 25 characters, updated battle system, more unlockable weapons, updated costumes, and....Yoda. This old old, incredibly old Jedi Master is here to kick some real people booty with the green lightsaber and the force. WTF is with Cassandra and Taki's costumes btw? Crazy horny japs and their impractical costumes. Still, I do enjoy eye candy.

  4) Lost Odyssey

  Release Date: February 12 2008

  Japanese immortal emo man. The classic JRPG main character. With its loooooooooong storyline (friggin finally) clocking in at over 60 hours (rumor) Lost Odyssey promises to be a defining game for the RPG genre. Its cool battle system melding in immortal and mortal characters, as well as some sort of "ring" leveling system, the quirkyness of this game insures its greatness. Not sure how a Game Over comes about with immortal characters but...we'll see. Also, Final Fantasy director and composer? Thank you.

  3) Grand Theft Auto 4

  Release Date: Q2 2008

  Russian badass roaming the realistic streets of New York. With a track record as pristine as GTA's, its really hard to say something new and revolutionary about this game. The streets of New York are apparently realistic as hell, and the graphics look amazing as well. This looks to be a promising addition to the franchise, but with the delay to 2008 that put it on this list on the first place, I feel a bit concerned about how well it will sell.

  2) Fallout 3

  Release Date: Fall 2008

  Wewt. New Fallout games are few and far between, and I'm glad the Oblivion makers have graced us with this addition to the series. With Bethesda behind the wheel, it seems hard to imagine how this game could be anything less than phenomenal. The world ended with huge-o nuclear blasts in the 1960's and now its the 2000's and your trying to scrap for your survival by killing things. Huge landscapes, dynamic, branched storyline, and wicked awesome inventory system. This is bound to be a must have not only for 2008, but for the life of the system.

  1) Tom Clancy's Endwar

  Release Date: Q2 2008

  In the near future, the oil stores of the world are drying up. Russia becomes an international superpower due to its massive oil fields. Russia gets so much money that they outfit their soldiers with crazy awesome power weaponry. The US launches a space station with the capabilities to have a battalion of soldiers anywhere in the world in under 90 minutes. Tensions between Russia, Europe, and the US break, and the mother of all wars, Endwar, begins. Endwar is a RTS which allows you to control troop movements via voice command as you attempt to take control of strategic points which allow you to call reinforcements, upgrade weapons, and eventually call on a WMD. With enduring soldiers, the more battles your troops survive through, the stronger they become. Choose your nationality and help them take over the world. Every battle you win brings your faction closer to victory, while every failure brings you closer to annihilation. Tom Clancy's Endwar looks like it may be one of the best war games ever conceived. I pray it will deliver.

  There you have it folks.

  That's my input. Thanks for reading.

  • Posted Jan 19, 2008 7:47 pm GMT
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