The State of Things
I’m not going to lie. My hopes for ESO are incredibly high. I love the MMO concept; the persistent, massive world; the social environment inside a game, but I’m running out of something to play. I’m a long time World of Warcraft player and it’s a great game, but… Oh, it’s such a but. The game is old. And I don’t just mean that the graphics engine is primarily 10 years old (which, honestly does get to me occasionally). The game is tired. It’s worn out. We’re on episode two hundred and whatever of Dragon Ball Z and while we keep getting new bosses it’s all the same. The interface and features are the best – there’s no arguing that. No other MMO out there matches the quality-of-game improvements that have happened over the years. But you can only polish the same gem so much. It’s still the same. This is where WoW finds itself, it’s the most polished MMO (excluding graphics) but it’s lacking something new to drive interest. So, what else to turn to? TERA looks great but the only unique part (live action combat) feels more gimmicky than a feature. The Secret World has basically the coolest premise out there, but the simple -fun- of game play is so much lower. A friend of mine described Knights of the Old Republic game play as exactly like WoW from 5 years ago. But look… on the horizon is a game that promises to exceed all of them. (more…)
Distractions – ESO
So, I haven’t and probably won’t end up playing much WoW this weekend, because, well. Elder Scrolls Online beta!! Not only am I playing it a bit, but also trying to make some handy youtube videos. For your viewing pleasure (or displeasure, but you can view them regardless), here are some of ESO Beta footage I’ve recorded and posted.
Here’s a video on all the character customization options. WoW players take note of what (more…)
Why PVP Season 15 Makes Me Sad
There’s a few things about the recently announced and soon to start PVP season 15 that came with patch 5.4.7 that have got me a little bit down. The biggest thing, easily, is that it means we’re a long, long, ways away from the expansion. There’s an achievement for reaching 27,000 conquest during season 15, at normal arena cap, that’s 15 weeks or nearly 4 months starting next week. Prior to that announcement, my friends and guildies were hoping that Warlords would launch around the same time as Elder Scrolls Online. We expected Blizzard to plan that to crush the upcoming game (as they tend to do, not that I wanted it), but apparently not. So, I mean, the disappointment is my own fault, not like it was announced, but it doesn’t make it any less.
The next part and (more…)
Screen Shot of the Week: Line Up War Wolves!
A friend of mine noticed a couple of players on their Kor’kron War Wolves standing in a line and joined in. A short while later, a few more joined. It’s fun to see spontaneous organization. Click after the break for a bonus picture (different view and no caption).
Hearthstone Impressions
I’ve played a little bit of Hearthstone now and I want to drop a little feedback. Keep in mind, it’s still in beta, but it plays like a pretty complete game. For that, I’d say they’re doing a good job with it so far. It’s fun, but it’s far too simple. I have a decent win/loss ratio (I think) but games are nearly always one sided. Either I wreck them or they wreck me – it’s hard to be much fun on either side of that. This is because of the simplicity. Bad draw early on can create a deficit that can never be recovered from. However, it’s the lack of countering that is my real complaint. I played a game where on turn 3 or 4, the opponent played a card to “steal” one of mine, used that to kill my taunt creature and (clearing my side of the board) and dealt 10 damage. Prior to that turn we were equal with full health but I had 2 strong(ish) cards in play and he had one weak one. At the end of the turn I’m down 1/3 of my health and he had 5 minions to my 0. No way to stop it. No way to counter. What I’d love to see is a Magic the Gathering style counter spell mechanic. The ability to cast certain types of spells during the opponents turn would be such a huge improvement. It would at a little complexity. Do I save this burn spell to see what my opponent does or use it now? I’ve seen many games where either side could have stopped a loss by simply being able to stop one spell or one minion during a key fight. It just needs a little more. (more…)
From the Web: Conan O’Brien Plays World of Warcraft
For any mutual fans of Conan O’Brien and WoW… this is pretty much a must watch. Conan goes to Blizzcon ’13, plays a little bit of WoW and brings his special brand of humor to cast the 3v3 tournament.
Yes, I know I’m a little late with finding this video. So sue me. (Actually, don’t sue me).