Conglomoblog: Marvel, DC, SWTOR, and Amalur

Marvel Heroes

I have zero faith in the MMO devs of this generation to create a MMO based on a major IP, especially an IP like Marvel.  I think the isometric view is a great choice, like Ultima Online, but I doubt Marvel Heroes will be a true virtual world.  In fact, I bet it won’t resemble a MMORPG at all.   Everything I’ve seen leads me believe it will work like Diablo 3 does, and if that’s a MMO then I’m out of touch. Then there’s the free-to-play, and I don’t need to elaborate.

SWTOR Layoffs

First and foremost, I feel for the employees losing their jobs.  This can’t be a surprise to anyone, though.  SWTOR hasn’t done as well as anyone hoped, and I think this is exactly what I was talking about yesterday.  MMO’s are not single-player games, and single-player games were never meant to be turned into MMO’s.  SWTOR is a mediocre MMO and a sub-par single-player game -only- because Bioware chose to go for this hybrid model instead of focusing on making it one or the other.

LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Open World Trailer

Heads up LEGO game fans! LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes looks amazing.  500 square miles of city to explore, voice acting, and a whole lineup of DC Super Heroes and Villains.  If you’re one of our long time readers you know we love the LEGO games, so we’ll be all over this when it launches.

 

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – Completed!

I also finally beat Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning today.  To avoid spoiling it for anyone, click ‘read more’ to see some of my thoughts. SPOILERS AHEAD.  You have been warned. (more…)

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GW2 BWE#1 Wrap-up

I covered GW2 extensively over the weekend with my thoughts on questing, combat, Battlegrounds/Mists, and World vs. World.  I want to briefly wrap-up my thoughts from this weekend into one post so that someone wondering what I think about GW2 can easily find them.

Something about GW2 won me over.  I had framerate issues in WvW and sometimes in crowded areas, and it was clear that the game has a few months of Beta until it is read. However, I find myself sitting here wishing I could log on and play.  I miss playing.

WvW has a lot of potential if the players will stick with it while it matures.  If GW2’s community hits its stride and defends, attacks, and really invests emotionally into the World vs. World experience it will be a long-lasting form of entertainment that will give GW2 a lot of replayability.

I like the individual loot system because I don’t have to worry about something dropping and someone else getting it. There’s also very little BoP/BoE stuff, if I recall correctly.  Questing is a natural progression experience through each zone, and I like how I can go to the area and work with others to complete quests even though I’m an individual.  Playing with friends is extremely easy with the de-leveling in lower level zones.

The Cash Shop … I guess I should say, “What cash shop?”  It was as though the thing didn’t exist.  I’m not at all worried about the current state of the cash shop, but that’s perhaps what worries me the most because ArenaNet wants to make a profit.  I hope enough people want to buy those worthless (I mean totally awesome) keys and costumes.

I don’t know what’s up with the whole ‘mail everything’ system.  You can’t trade with anyone which will prove to be an oddity if stays that way.

GW2 is definitely a themepark, and there isn’t a whole lot of ‘new’ being brought to the genre.  ArenaNet hasn’t just copied WoW, though.  There is a lot borrowed from games like DAOC — qualified and proven features — that were ignored for years, and things like weapon swapping that feel innovative.

TLDR Impressions after the jump. (more…)

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GW2 WvW Impressions

WvW is the closest I have ever come to reliving Dark Age of Camelot RvR.  I chose to lead off with that comment because WvW is the reason why I will play GW2, and the reason why many of my friends decided to even give GW2 a chance.  I want to begin by giving you a narrative of the video I shot below.

The video starts off with my server fighting outside the outer wall of our Western Keep in Blue’s World.  We are the invaders taking and holding Blue’s territory.  Almost right away we are pushed back through our wall just to find ourselves flanked by an even larger Blue force which broke through the other gate on the wall.  Keeps, Towers, and Outer Walls in GW2 have multiple gates.  This makes defending much more difficult because the attackers can come at you from multiple fronts.

As we are pushed back, I dive off the cliff into the beautifully done waters of our Keep’s moat.  Water combat, and water in general, are stunning and an amazing addition to the game and WvW.  We battle back and forth and eventually push Blue back to their Garrison (primary keep, awesome defense).  Moments later, as my guildies and I are retreating to our keep on our way to take a supply depot, GREEN server’s army flanks us out of nowhere inside the walls of our keep.  I LOVE three faction PvP!!!

The video ends with the end of our attack on a Tower and a look at the Orb (DAOC Relic).  We break the doors with our ram and burst through cleaning up the last of the defenders.  Slaying the Tower Lord, we claim the Tower for our server and march off to take more objectives.

Read on for more WvW Impressions. (more…)

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