Why did I only play a couple hours?  Honestly, you’ve probably heard these reasons from just about everyone else who isn’t playing but I want you to hear it from me too.  I’m not even going to touch upon any of the controversial stuff like the fatigue system.  My problems with the game are straight forward and simple.

The controls are terrible.  Even with a gamepad, which I had to put in after the first hour of play just to be able to continue for another hour, the game is unresponsive.  The new keyboard/mouse controls are just plain bad and unresponsive as well.

Chatting with NPC’s is like reading a novel.  They say so much… but they don’t say it.  I had to read walls of text that I didn’t find the least bit interesting.  Some people have told me things like “at least the lore is good”, but I didn’t get that impression.  The chat window (unless fixed recently) doesn’t help things.

Combat is unresponsive and dull.  It’s not entirely a menu system like you would expect from FF games, but it might as well be given how delayed and clunky everything is… heck, even the menus that you do see are wonky.  Is it a lack of polish or just a total lapse in judgment on the dev’s part?  I can’t tell.  It feels at times like a sloppy port, but then again isn’t the PC the primary platform?

It’s not immersive.  Bottom line, I log in and I play for an hour or two and not once do I feel like it’s a game that I would want to play seriously or invest time into.  That’s a very, very bad sign for me.  Maybe it’s the Eastern influence.

You guys know me.  If there’s even a chance that I’ll enjoy something you can probably find me foaming at the mouth somewhere.  However, when I don’t like a game even from the start it’s because the game usually has some major problems.  This is partly where I don’t know what to think… the FFXI crew might love it but I don’t see how anyone who appreciates a responsive, immersive, and fun game could.  Maybe it will do well based upon franchise loyalty, but that doesn’t change the facts.

If you base your decision on playing (or trying to get one of those coveted beta keys) solely from reading this blog, then I’ll do you a favor and tell you not to waste your time.  If you’re a loyal to Final Fantasy then please tell me what it is about this game that you love so much.

On one hand you have a game that took what worked in the years before it and then streamlined it all.  That’s the 2004-2005 WoW.  This era of WoW was about the world and adventuring within it to find the nuances that Blizzard created for players to find and appreciate.  Yeah, it streamlined games like EverQuest and DAOC, but there wasn’t much to complain about the game given how it was polished up compared to what we’d played prior.

Then came the era of raid progression from 2006-2009.  This is where the treadmill of getting gear to get gear came into play and it all became about doing raids.  This is where the raiders vs. the casual arguments gained momentum.  From Burning Crusade and into WotLK Blizzard clearly identified their game as a game of raiding content.

2009-Present could best be categorized as the “Era of Convenience”.  This is when everyone sits in Dalaran and just warps out to the instances.  No one leaves the capital cities for anything.  Leveling is done quickly and without thought.  Raids are easier, streamlined, and no longer just for the hardcore audience.  Everything feels easy and carries with it little meaning or importance.  It’s still fun, but missing that spark of life.

When someone says that a game is a “WoW clone”, to which version of WoW are they speaking?  I would say that all of them have their pluses and minuses.  My favorite would be the original era or “vanilla” pre-MC/BWL raiding.  The world was emphasized more, things felt simpler but were more difficult in their simplicity.  I do not believe that one can look at a game that shares similarities with the original releases of WoW (or other versions) and start talking about it negatively or even positively as though it shares commonalities with all versions of WoW — the game has just evolved way too much to make a generalization without specifying.

What made me want to share the video with you guys is mostly the class system.  I really like how players get to customize their ideal class by pulling in a little bit from here and there.  I’m not sure to what extent it will work out in the end and just how customizable it will be before the cookie cutter sets in, but it at least looks nice and not entirely like anything done before.

Anyway, check it out.  The game clearly isn’t redefining the wheel.  The biggest criticism about the game thus far that I have seen is that it’s not much different from the regular MMO’s of the pre-wow era (EQ2 appearing to have a lot of similarities) — I’m also seeing some odd WAR similarities too.  That doesn’t bug me much.  You guys know that about me though; I’m okay with the more traditional style of games.  I enjoy traditional MMO combat, worlds that have a ‘virtual world’ feel to them, and other traditional mechanics like grouping.

Thoughts on Rift so far?  Anyone have any further insights into the game that I may not have yet?

It’s been four days since I’ve touched a computer to do anything but print off directions so it feels like the world has passed me by.

I’ll be returning to my regular blogging schedule within a day or two.  Until then, what’s been going on in the gaming world? How are Worms and Elemental War of Magic?  I’m thinking about picking these two up on Monday.

This was a really long time coming and I’ve been sharing my distaste over the idea on our forums and with others for several months.  Cryptic is making a D&D Neverwinter multiplayer coop game.  This will be like NWN but set in the new 4th edition rules after “years and years” have passed.

I don’t care if it’s not a MMO.   Cryptic simply does not have the ability to make good games.  They lack the basic understanding of how to make a game fun and engaging.  There’s no need to go any further and explain the plethora of individual failings seen in their games — they’re simply not any fun.

Let’s talk about another issue.  If this is a multiplayer coop RPG game with up to five players… isn’t that kinda what Neverwinter Nights has been capable of being all along?  I played NWN with Graev and another one of our friends through the full game and its expansions.   Are they going to support it on a platform of sorts to create an experience closer to Diablo’s multiplayer instead of a server browser?  This Gamespot article/interview mentions connecting to a server to create a session for you and/or your friends.

Jack Emmert says: “We’re trying to create new sorts of games that we call “OMGs” (online multiplayer games).”

GENIUS!  Pure genius Jack.  There were singleplayer games then massively multiplayer games.  How could we have missed that middle step?!

Personally, I don’t know what to make of what Jack Emmert or the articles are saying.  Jack thinks that MMO’s are persistent zones with instances attached to them.  He says so right in that gamespot interview.  I don’t even know where Cryptic is going to go with what the rest of the world thinks of RPG’s.

Clone Wars Adventures is the Star Wars version of Free Realms… or so we thought when we went to play yesterday.   When we heard that SoE was taking the popular Star Wars cartoon and turning it into a F2P game, pretty much everyone immediately thought of Free Realms.

While the game shares many things with Free Realms, the two are actually more different than they are alike.  Free Realms attempts to create a virtual world feeling.  Your character moves around in a standard 3d environment in a fairly traditional way.  In Clone Wars it feels more like you’re looking at your character move in more of a left to right pseudo 3d environment feel with a fixed camera angle.  The game so far, when playing your character, plays more like moving screen to screen.

Just how much is played as your character?  So far it’s just the part where you’re in a lobby area walking from mini-game to mini-game.  This is just a beta, but unless I’ve missed something (and I may have, please let me know and I can update this), it appears that the entirety of the game is mini-games.

Free Realms has a world to explore, monsters to fight, and offers more than mini-games.  In Clone Wars I look out the windows and see a city-like atmosphere that just begs to be explored or adventured in, even in a shallow way like Free Realms… but it’s all so confined in CWA.

Since the game is so much about the mini-games at this point, let’s talk about them.  They’re not bad.  There’s everything from Tower Defense to an on-rails starship shooter (lol SWTOR) to a who-can-press-the- arrow-keys-patterns- faster saber duel game.  Some of them are stupid like the one where you throw your saber or have to match the blocks or tell what’s different about a picture,  but for the most part they’re deep and at times difficult on the harder levels.

The absolute best thing that we’ve seen and can say we love about Clone Wars are the graphics.  This is absolutely one gorgeous game that has captured the look and feel of the Clone Wars cartoon.  There’s a richness to the simplicity of the stylized cartoon appearance that really comes through on the higher resolutions.  It’s easy to get started and the whole thing is polished up nicely.

What little we’ve seen of the Station Cash microtransaction implementation, it looks to be all about the costumes and furniture.  If you want the Boba Fett outfit (which every kid and adult will) then you’ll need to pull out the wallet.  If you want the cool spaceships (I assume for use in the mini-games?) or furniture then it’ll cost you.  If your character meant more than an avatar in a lobby we’d be all over the idea but right now it serves no purpose to buy any of this stuff if it’s all mini-games anyway.

Some of the features, like an inventory with slots for gear, are a bit aggrandizing.  They serve little purpose with the current direction of the game except to make it seem like there’s more going on than there really is or that the game is a MMO/RPG/whatever.

If SoE makes Clone Wars like Free Realms with places to explore, quests to complete, monsters to kill and more than just mini-games then we’re both going to be all over this game.  If it remains as-is then it’s a missed opportunity that doesn’t offer much more than a flash game site would with a Star Wars coat of paint. In other words, there’s no reason to play it.

Massively.com has an article up today highlighting a few of the items available in the cash shop.  There’s also a nice list here on the official forums and I’m sure if you’re really that interested you can find some of the uproar over the cash shop on fansites/blogs as well.  Take a look at these and let me know if you think I was right when I said that they would affect the gameplay.

Permanent +30 stats – It’s buying power for your character.  Doesn’t matter if it’s only +30, it makes the characters with it better than those without.  This affects gameplay directly.

Virtues can be purchased – Instead of earning the virtues, you buy them outright.  This circumvents the way the game was meant to be played: earning them.  It diminishes what people have already done for their characters.  It trivializes the actions of earning it yourself even if you choose not to buy them. This both directly and indirectly affects gameplay.

Reputation Mounts – Like most games, there are rewards you can earn by putting in time doing something.  Even if it’s a rep grind, the people who earned them could be proud.  Now they can be purchased outright without the need for rep.  To all those who worked hard to feel distinguished, sucks to be you because now someone who starts fresh has what you worked hard for instantly. This indirectly affects the game.  It diminishes effort, goal oriented gameplay, and the achievement of those who played before F2P.  Trivialize more.

More – Maps that instantly teleport you all around the world, buff potions that give you an temporary edge, scrolls to resurrect yourself. Direct and indirect impact on the game and/or her players.

Instantly buy what was once hard-earned? Check.
Players buy power for their characters that give an edge over those that don’t? Check.
Affect the game directly and/or indirectly? Check.

This isn’t stuff that can be avoided either. This is affecting everyone. It’s not like EQ2x on a separate server or something you can avoid by actually paying a subscription instead of playing for free.  But I’m an idiot right?  Is it still a knee-jerk reaction?  Even after these revelations I guarantee you someone is going to comment that I’m wrong.

My position remains unchanged on Free to Play.  It’s bad for games.  Free to Play brings with it certain elements which alter the way games are played/maintained/designed in order to accommodate its model.  In a subscription game the developer’s interests and the player’s interests are much more aligned.  In a F2P game the developer’s interests and players interests diverge.

Turns out the CM “Pex” responds  via PM with:

“There is an NDA in effect. Just don’t post reviews or screenshots to the internet yet, but it’s ok to talk to your friends.”

So down go the impressions until the “open beta” is open because I’m nice.  I think they should do a better job letting people know about the NDA.  Yes, I know it’s there when you sign up.  I just assumed like every other open beta that they left it up.  It’s not on their forums anywhere (or wasn’t for the past 30+ hours) or on any fan site where people are commenting non-stop.  (Massively, MMORPG.com, TenTonHammer, just to name a few) or website.

Someone figure out what “open beta” means, please.

Totec walking across Lara's Grappling Hook.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is available today on XBLA (and not on PS3 or PC until Sept 28).  Graev and I picked it up for 1200 microsoft points, completing out summer collection which essentially awards us 1200 points so we semi-somewhat justify it as free.  It’s an isometric platformer/action game with puzzles, boss fights, hack n slash, upgrades and other forms of minor character progression.

Even if you don’t like the source materials, or like us know very little about Tomb Raider games of the past, there’s a very fun coop experience to be had here.  The game gets going very quickly with a brief still-movie/explanation of why you’re on this adventure.  You’re joined by your Mayan buddy Totec to stop the bad guy Xolotl who stole the Mirror of Smoke.  Here’s where coop comes in.  One player chooses Lara and the other chooses Totec.  The two have to make their way through the levels while killing bad guys, finding ways to get powersups/unlocks/artifacts, and work together.

Both characters have abilities that are required to advance in the levels.  For example, Totec can throw his Mayan spears of awesome into the wall and Lara’s light and nimble physique can jump on them to reach things or for whatever you would stand on spears to do.  Lara can shoot out rope which lets Totec grab it and swing or even tightrope walk on it when Lara has it attached to something.  Totec can raise his shield above him and Lara, again with that nimble balance, can stand on it to reach ledges.  Each character also has several other abilities or tools to help them on their own or as a duo. (Note: If you play solo it’s only Lara and she has the stuff needed to progress but the puzzles are different on coop to make it different and fun.)

There’s rumor of a multiplayer patch coming to Xbox 360 but for now, and even without it, it’s worth it to buy the game and play with a friend if you’re looking for some very solid coop gameplay.

Microsoft announced Age of Empires Online today.  It’s going to be a “persistent” RTS game where your empire continues to grow while you’re offline.  Just how much is persistent? No clue — probably just that it doesn’t disappear when you log out. I have this idea floating around in my head of an actual RTS game that allows you to travel with your troops and siege other players like you would in a real RTS game — just imagine the world being enormous.  Clearly it’s not going to be that, but there’s still a lot that they can do with it even if it’s just you in your own little world but capable of taking armies and troops that you’ve trained into battle.

AoEO is going to have familiar AoE gameplay, resource management, the ability to go on quests with friends, battle friends, and team up with others to battle.  The game’s art style and direction have changed.  It’s more cartoony now, but I don’t see anything wrong with it.  Stylized graphics age well and they play the feel of the game into a much less serious nature.  I’m getting a Battlefield Heroes vibe which is both good and bad (BF:Heroes was great before they messed up the microtransactions).

It’s not my ideal direction for the Age of Empire franchise.  I would have loved to see a fully realized RTS game.  The trailer shows gameplay that I definitely want to play though.  So far this is something I’m looking forward to, with the only trepidation being mention of social gaming and free-to-play experiences being their motivation to go this direction with the franchise.  At least they’re sticking solely to PC on this one as a digital download.

Oh, and my Mom thinks the idea of Age of Empires Online “sounds neat”.