A cluster of topics – lots to talk about

I have been slacking lately with the blog entries while trying to think of what I could possibly talk about that won’t put you all to sleep. I attribute much of my writer’s block to the various NDA’s blocking me from discussing the growing pile of betas I am currently playing. But to keep with my goal of writing something every day I have dug around and come up with a cluster of topics to ramble briefly on. If you’ve been having trouble falling asleep don’t look to those sleep-aids; just read on!

First off let’s talk about what’s come out and what will be coming out later this week! The big title that has recently hit the gamersphere by storm is Bioshock. Here’s a title that I have absolutely no interest in whatsoever yet one that Graev has been looking forward to for a long time. Set in an underwater utopia gone awry, Bioshock looks like it is going to deliver hours of shooter-style gameplay with a touch of gore and weird. I say weird because by simply watching the demo on the Xbox360 I have to wonder what the heck is up with little girl-like Npc’s walking around with needles. There is apparently a story behind the whole thing but I’m just not on board with this one. Graev picked up the collectors addition that came with a statue of a “big daddy” (I guess that’s one of the monsters). Once Graev gives it some serious attention this week he’ll blog his thoughts on it.

Next up we have a title that I am actually looking forward to playing! Two Worlds for the 360 and PC should offer a very “Oblivion-esque” RPG experience. What interests me most is that your actions in the world will shape the story and your gameplay experience (can you say replay value?). Given the current mini-slump that I am experiencing I could really use a single player/semi multi-player RPG where character development and story-driven worlds with true atmosphere can give me that total immersion experience. I am currently downloading the demo from FilePlanet as I write this entry so that will give me something to write about tomorrow. Now the current debate is PC or 360. I think Graev and I have decided that PC is the way to go because Multi-player on the PC has already been deemed the best.

In Lord of the Rings Online I have been working on my Hobbit Minstrel for a couple hours a day. He is currently 27 and for the first time I am actually enjoying crafting. On previous characters, mostly in beta, I would pick up a craft and experiment with it for the first tier and then forget about it. This time through however I am enjoying the immediate benefits of the Scholar profession. Right from the start I have already been making money by selling dyes and potions. Today alone I have made nearly 400 silver from selling various lower tier dyes and yesterday’s numbers trump today’s earnings. With Book 10 many graphics were changed on cloaks and armor, thus giving players the urge to see how dyes can enhance their aesthetic appeal. I took advantage of this by whipping up a huge batch of dyes to flood the auction house with right when the servers came up (yay me!). Aside from being a tough craft to level it’s definitely the top money maker. Like many of my fellow bloggers out there I nearly quit LOTRO for the well-known reasons. I was looking at what the game didn’t have compared to others when I should have taken a step back and realized that I am playing LOTRO now for what it does have; story and unexplainable fun (I know…how much more vague can I get?). So hopefully LOTRO continues to provide enough fun to justify the subscription for me.

I guess that’s it for today. As you can see there’s just a lot little things going on and the interesting stuff will have to wait! I promise I will come up with something truly thought provoking and insightful later this week!