Could this summer be a gaming slump?

The past four days have been downright awful.  At first I thought I was just burning out on Lord of the Rings Online so I tried EQ2.  The feeling of boredom returned so I tried Battlefield 2142 (in case it was a MMO thing).  No, Bf2142 was boring as well.  Then I tried a few console games, more LOTRO, and about four other games before I realized this was a familiar feeling.  I’m in a gaming slump.  But why?!

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately browsing message boards, official sites, and fansites for the upcoming games I am interested in playing.  Pirates of the Burning Sea and Warhammer Online are definitely in the forefront of this list for obvious reasons.  So as I was browsing the boards this afternoon it came to me – could this be a self inflicted slump?  Could I be subconsciously tossing aside great games because I know something better is being developed?  You know the feeling, right?  A huge title you are looking forward to has about 3-4 months more until it launches and you know you’re going to drop everything and play that title for days straight.  That anxious waiting turns to anxiety and then … the dreaded slump.

Right now as I write this I am going over in my head what I could possibly play to get me out of this rut.  I want to play a MMORPG but I don’t want to resub to something old and on it’s way out.  Heck I would love to play more LOTRO if I could just get past that sick feeling of “Ugh this could take 3 more weeks to hit level 50”.  I would welcome any advice on how to get over this literal hell.  At this rate the summer is going to be very hot and very slow.

  • I had that “grass is greener” feeling about 3 years ago. I was playing EQ2 just after launch, and although I liked the game, I couldn’t help but think I must be missing something because I wasn’t part of the online gaming sensation known as WoW. So I switched over, tried it out for about a year, and had an epiphany, because even though 8 million people play the game, I had more fun with EQ2, so I went back. How ironic that shortly after I left EQ2 to play Vanguard, EQ2 became the new Cinderella MMO, and Vanguard has suffered from historic road bumps!

    Anyway, my point is what’s most important is whether the game is fun for you, not whether the game is hyped. Thank god I learned that before Vanguard went live eh?!

    I know I’m in a teenie tiny minority right now, but there really is some neat stuff in Vanguard. If you are thinking of playing, and are looking for company, feel free to look me up on Thunderaxe (soon to be server A!).

  • I’m there with you, Keen. Dying for Gods and Heroes, Pirates, Conan, Warhammer, Hellgate, Mythos… anything. But it’s futile. They’re not going to come any faster than I want them to. So instead, I find myself playing a little of this, a little of that.

    Might I suggest picking up something you may have overlooked in the past? Even if just for the free month’s play? Auto Assault, City of Heroes, Guild Wars, or any of those? Maybe a single-player RPG, NWN2, Titan Quest, Oblivion?

    Think of something that passed by while you were playing LotRO or EQ2 or something, and give it a try now. Hell, I’m thinking of resubbing to AA or CoH for a while as well. These months always suck. The big games are down the road, and nothing seems to quench the thirst meanwhile.

  • Oh and hey, did you give “Last Chaos” a try last night? I think I saw you there… or someone named Keen. 🙂 Man, yet another crappy grindfest. Had some hope for that one, but then, I always do.

    Oh, give Dungeon Runners a try also. It’s good for a free Diablo Clone. But not very “long-lasting”.

  • Nope that wasn’t me in Last Chaos. Not even sure if I’ve heard of that one. Unfortunately for me “Keen” is a very popular nickname out there.

    I think I’m going to keep giving LOTRO it’s chance to win me over and if I just can’t muster the strength of will to push on to 50 then I will most likely try one of the games you listed Bildo. I’ve beaten NWN2, TQ, couldn’t like Oblivion, but might give CoH or something another try.

  • If you do give CoH or the underappreciated-ness that is AA a shot, drop me a line. I’ll go into it with yas. 🙂

  • been there seen it, still stuck there waiting … however might I suggest trying to get in to some betas. Fury are doing open beta sort of weekends, Tabula Rasa are ramping up there beta participation. (not that I could tell you if iam in any of the above !!!)I usually find that passes time very well whilst I wait for something I really want to play … aoc, potbs and of corse gods and heros, just to play a gladiator in the coleisum will be worth a couple of months subscription … however that being said, I just put my order in for an xbox 360 with shadowrun to while away the hours where I wait ….

    If you are in lotro and want a party mbr and are on brandywine, drop me a tell Adanulus

  • Have you watched any videos of Warhammer from the monthly newsletters?

    I’d say Warhammer is hyped more than WoW at the moment (until Blizzcon).

    Warhammer graphics are horrid. Dwarves jumping/move 5 pixels down rather than walking down stairs. A mountain collapse that looks like it came from 1999. A giant disappears when the bomb it carries hits the door and falls down awkwardly timed after…

    For a game that was suppose to be done about now, it looks very coarse. I sure hope gameplay makes up for it.

  • It’s tough to judge Warhammer Online based on videos of an early beta. Refining animations is something many MMO’s do close to release.

    It still has easily 8 months left in development.