Sunday, December 27, 2009
The new year doesn't look so bright for Vanguard
I guess it is that time of year where developers start teasing what new features the players can look forward to in the new year. With Vanguard, their message to players is a big more disappointing. It seems that some of the major features players have been looking forward to, like: alternate advancement, Nexus, Pankor Zhi, Halls of Shattered Souls, and Stiirhaad Mountains have been all but canceled so the dev team can focus on more frequent content updates. This is a disappointment for sure. For a game that really looks like it is on its last leg, it doesn't seem to be a good sign for the future. One good thing announced, at least for the current players, was that a server merger should happen soon. That will make a huge difference for current players in finding groups, and when new players come in, they won't be instantly discouraged when they can't find a group. I hope these steps can somehow turn around Vanguard, because it really is a great game that deserves some attention. I fear that it is too late to save it though. You can read the post here
Saturday, December 26, 2009
New Aion Services...For you to pay for!
NCSoft recently talked about some new services you will be able to buy soon in Aion
, such as: character appearance change, name change, legion change, and sex change. They did not announce the price for these services, but they did say it will be announced soon. These new services will be available in the first quarter of 2010. NCSoft also teases at some new and big features that will be unveiled for Aion after the staff returns from a vacation. You can read the direct post here.
, such as: character appearance change, name change, legion change, and sex change. They did not announce the price for these services, but they did say it will be announced soon. These new services will be available in the first quarter of 2010. NCSoft also teases at some new and big features that will be unveiled for Aion after the staff returns from a vacation. You can read the direct post here.Friday, December 25, 2009
Top Ten MMORPGs of All Time!
Ok, this is my very first post of what I hope to be a semi-interesting blog, that I can keep up on a semi-regular basis. What better way to kick off a blog with a bang than to list my favorite MMORPGs of all time?
10. World of Warcraft
WoW is a completely streamlined and well oiled MMORPG. That is why it is last place on my top ten...catering too much to the casual player can sometimes drive away the players that really love this genre. Making everything so easy that everyone can get it with very little effort makes your uber loot less uber. I have to give it credit for making the MMORPG a widely accepted genre though.
9. Lord of the Rings Online
This is like World of Warcraft in Middle Earth. The only real reason I would put it above WoW is it made some innovations to the genre. Adding achievements seems brainless now that every other MMO has them, but they did it first.
8. City of Heroes/City of Villains
For the first month or two I had so much fun with this game. It was a big change of pace from the standard fantasy MMORPGs of the time. The character creation process of this game is bar none..or at least was until Champions Online came out..the best on the market. You are nearly able to make anything you set out to make. If nothing else, everyone should check the game out for that feature alone. After the creation and fun of playing a super hero wears off..the game gets boring fast.
7. Warhammer Online
The PVP in WAR is very fun and easy to jump into and out of. There are a variety of things to do instead of just grind..you can PVP, Scenarios, PQ, work your ToK, etc. Lots of variety, even though it still somewhat follows the MMO cookie cutter mold.
6. Everquest 2
While this doesn't feel like the best sequel to Everquest that they could have possibly made, it is a really fun PVE game. The raiding and guild features are really well done, and there are a lot of other nice features not really present in other games. It still pretty much follows the standard MMO template.
5. Shadowbane
This game was completely viscious and totally fun. Almost completely player run cities, governments, economies, wars, etc. If you wanted to train beyond a certain point, you needed to hope your city that you were pledged to had your trainer...otherwise you had to risk running through the dangerous world to find one. The game was so buggy at launch though, so many players quit quickly. This is another game that relies heavily on a decent player population. Owning your city and then demolishing someone else's city isn't as much fun alone.
4. Vanguard Saga of Heroes
This one is still really fun. I go back to it from time to time to play, and it could still be as fun as Everquest was if it had a decent player population. A game like this doesn't work when there are no people to group with. LFG is fun for about ten minutes, after that it is just frustrating. You can go HOURS lfg in Vanguard. It is a shame though, because it is the "spiritual successor" to EQ.
3. Star Wars Galaxies
This game is sort of along the same lines as my number one game, because the game was an amazing sandbox style game(with some of the best crafting ever) until SOE came in and completely(and without much notice) changed the core of the game. The way the whole situation was handled upset me so much that I quit and never even gave the revamped game a shot. So, I can not speak on the game after the changes, although it sounded like they would do nothing but ruin the game.
2. Everquest
While Ultima was open ended and MMO focused on player to player interaction, EQ was the first great PVE game. Camping rare spawns and rare loot, LFG, raiding until the wee hours of the night, camp checks...those were some of the most fun times I have had playing an MMORPG.
1. Ultima Online
I am talking old school UO, not what it has morphed into after the whole Renaissance expansion. Prior to Trammel coming into Ultima, it was the most fun and addictive experience ever possible on the PC. You could steal from other players by the bank. Those players you stole from could come kill you and get their stuff back. Players could break into other player's houses and steal any items that weren't locked down. It was a true sandbox experience, and if the game hadn't went through such drastic changes, I would still be playing it today.
10. World of Warcraft
WoW is a completely streamlined and well oiled MMORPG. That is why it is last place on my top ten...catering too much to the casual player can sometimes drive away the players that really love this genre. Making everything so easy that everyone can get it with very little effort makes your uber loot less uber. I have to give it credit for making the MMORPG a widely accepted genre though.
9. Lord of the Rings Online
This is like World of Warcraft in Middle Earth. The only real reason I would put it above WoW is it made some innovations to the genre. Adding achievements seems brainless now that every other MMO has them, but they did it first.
8. City of Heroes/City of Villains
For the first month or two I had so much fun with this game. It was a big change of pace from the standard fantasy MMORPGs of the time. The character creation process of this game is bar none..or at least was until Champions Online came out..the best on the market. You are nearly able to make anything you set out to make. If nothing else, everyone should check the game out for that feature alone. After the creation and fun of playing a super hero wears off..the game gets boring fast.
7. Warhammer Online
The PVP in WAR is very fun and easy to jump into and out of. There are a variety of things to do instead of just grind..you can PVP, Scenarios, PQ, work your ToK, etc. Lots of variety, even though it still somewhat follows the MMO cookie cutter mold.
6. Everquest 2
While this doesn't feel like the best sequel to Everquest that they could have possibly made, it is a really fun PVE game. The raiding and guild features are really well done, and there are a lot of other nice features not really present in other games. It still pretty much follows the standard MMO template.
5. Shadowbane
This game was completely viscious and totally fun. Almost completely player run cities, governments, economies, wars, etc. If you wanted to train beyond a certain point, you needed to hope your city that you were pledged to had your trainer...otherwise you had to risk running through the dangerous world to find one. The game was so buggy at launch though, so many players quit quickly. This is another game that relies heavily on a decent player population. Owning your city and then demolishing someone else's city isn't as much fun alone.
4. Vanguard Saga of Heroes
This one is still really fun. I go back to it from time to time to play, and it could still be as fun as Everquest was if it had a decent player population. A game like this doesn't work when there are no people to group with. LFG is fun for about ten minutes, after that it is just frustrating. You can go HOURS lfg in Vanguard. It is a shame though, because it is the "spiritual successor" to EQ.
3. Star Wars Galaxies
This game is sort of along the same lines as my number one game, because the game was an amazing sandbox style game(with some of the best crafting ever) until SOE came in and completely(and without much notice) changed the core of the game. The way the whole situation was handled upset me so much that I quit and never even gave the revamped game a shot. So, I can not speak on the game after the changes, although it sounded like they would do nothing but ruin the game.
2. Everquest
While Ultima was open ended and MMO focused on player to player interaction, EQ was the first great PVE game. Camping rare spawns and rare loot, LFG, raiding until the wee hours of the night, camp checks...those were some of the most fun times I have had playing an MMORPG.
1. Ultima Online
I am talking old school UO, not what it has morphed into after the whole Renaissance expansion. Prior to Trammel coming into Ultima, it was the most fun and addictive experience ever possible on the PC. You could steal from other players by the bank. Those players you stole from could come kill you and get their stuff back. Players could break into other player's houses and steal any items that weren't locked down. It was a true sandbox experience, and if the game hadn't went through such drastic changes, I would still be playing it today.
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