I admit, I’ve been a bit preoccupied with Age of Conan for the past week or so, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve got any intention of cancelling my WoW subscription - no matter how good AoC turns out to be. Though, admittedly, I’ve grown rather bored of the current WoW content, I’m still ridiculously excited about the release of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion. I’m also really lookig forward to seeing what Blizzard might reveal at the World Wide Invitational in June.
Eurogamer recently posted a detailed article about their hands on experience with WotLK, and it’s all sounding pretty positive so far. This bit in particular has me really intrigued:
Quest designers, however, got carried away with other ideas, introducing crazy vehicle quests that are an exponential evolution of Burning Crusade’s bombing runs - throwing flaming oil at Worgen from horseback, airlifting supplies in a gyrocoptor, and yes, mammoth wrangling. We also see tanks and parachutes, and there’s even talk of allowing players to take a passenger on regular ground or flying mounts. All of which is conventional stuff in regular gaming, but a huge dose of wish-fulfilment in an MMO, and all the more impressive for being retro-fitted into an older game engine.
The landscapes in WotLK also look spectacular. Though WoW is often criticized for its subpar, “cartoonish” look, I still vividly recall being blown away when I entered Darnassus for the first time back in Open Beta. I don’t doubt that AoC (and other next-gen MMOs) will blow WoW away in terms of quality graphics. I played around in the AoC OB and was stunned by the level of detail in the animation. I don’t feel, however, that this necessarily takes anything away from WoW. The two are very different games.
Another thing about WotLK that pleased me is the fact that <i>all</i> raids will be available for both 10-man and 25-man groups, making the content accessible to smaller guilds. Naturally, the quality of the loot will be superior in the 25-man versions, making them worthwhile to the hardcore players. Heroic and non-heroic modes will also be available for dungeons, much as they are in Outland.
For more hands on details about WotLK, head over here to read Eurogamer’s inside look at the expansion. No matter what, I’ll be right there to experience Northrend in all of its glory come release day.
Want to make yourself an instant gaming commentary star? MyGamersVideos is a site that yearns to be the gaming specific version of YouTube that exhibitionists have been waiting for.
The site, run solely on user submitted content, helps aspiring videographers every step of the way, including free recording software that can be downloaded from its site, handy channels for visitors to catch up on videos concerning their favourite games, and a community view-and-rate system that allows you to comment on other videos.
If the user base is of the semi-intelligent, useful type, this could be fantastic, with video interviews, walkthroughs, reviews, etc. If, however, the users are on par with that annoying brat in open chat who keeps chattering endlessly and punctuating every sentence with a “yo mama!” joke…we’re in a load of poo.
Still convinced, like a recently thawed ice man thrust into a new and scary world, that online gaming and subscription based pay systems will never be a) accepted by players or b) profitable for game makers? Well has The NPD Group got news for you!
Analysts at NPD have put out some very impressive numbers detailing the girth of the online subscription market in the United States, pegging the still expanding segment of the industry hovering at about $1 billion annually, not including digital distribution and online subscription sales (?!! How can you do a study on subscription to online games but not be able to include people who subscribe via the internet??).
An estimated 11 million monthly subscribers dish out their dough on three studied sections of gaming: MMORPG, casual gaming, and console. Of these categories, the top five MMO and portal sites were pulled out of the data. To see which casual portals made the cut, head over to the full article for a peek. Tops for MMOs…any guesses? Do I even have to ask? World of Warcraft naturally, followed by:
The official launch date for FunCom’s MMO, Age of Conan, is fast approaching, and the MMO players of the world are trying to answer the ultimate questions: Is AoC better than WoW? Should I leave WoW for AoC?
I’m not exactly sure what people expect others to answer, as if this game were somehow so magical, so incredibly beyond anything that ever came before that it would compel every single person that’s ever tried it to proclaim: YES! IT IS OFFICIALLY THE BEST GAME EVER. IT IS THE MARY POPPINS OF MMOS - PERFECT IN EVERY WAY.
Let’s get real. Making two gamers happy is difficult. Making every gamer in the world happy is delusional thinking. Is AoC better than WoW? Who’s to say that it is and who’s to say that it isn’t? There’s no real answer to the question: is x better than y.
I love MMOs and I usually try as many of them as I can only to find that the vast majority of them are a huge disappointment. But that’s not to say that they suck or that I can’t see why others might find enjoyment in them. In the end, it all boils down to personal preference.
If you’re trying to figure out whether AoC (or any other game) is “better” than WoW (or any other game), I suggest the following:
- Figure out what you like about WoW and figure out what you don’t
- Read as much as you can about the game you’re thinking of buying
- Read the forums but don’t take all comments to heart. People will always have different opinions/experiences.
- Find out if your computer can play the game (otherwise you’re just wasting your time if you’re not willing/able to upgrade)
- Sign up for the betas or do your best to get into the open betas
- Ask specific questions. People tend to be a lot more helpful when they feel they can be.
- Understand that MMOs are never truly “complete” and that comparing a game that hasn’t even launched to a game that’s been out for four years is terribly unfair and a little crazy. I was there for WoW’s open beta/launch and played it for several months before quitting. I came back a year and a half later and it was honestly an entirely different game and an entirely different experience. I expect the same will be true of AoC, WAR or any other MMO that’s launching. That’s not to say that these games won’t be enjoyable at the beginning, they’re just obviously not going to have the same amount of content.
- And of course, the ultimate way to find the answer to the ultimate question is… try the game. Wait for free trials to spring up, or see if any of your friends will let you play on their accounts. If you’ve got the funds, buy it and try it. No one says you have to keep your subscription and in the end it’s not any more expensive than any console game you buy, beat, and stick on a shelf to collect dust.
GTA IV fever has gripped not only the gaming world, but also mainstream media, parent groups, politicians, and anyone else looking for a cause to champion. No detractors seem able to curb its popularity and behind all the volatile rhetoric, games have been quietly….taking over the world!
Not quite, but they’re certainly putting some new and interesting tools to great use for the latest GTA release. Take good old Google Maps for example…if you want to know where mission starts, secret items, prostitutes, and sweet vehicles sit without the horror of, you know, actually exploring the expansive world that poor Rockstar has slaved away creating for you, then the Liberty City map application could be the answer to all your prayers.
As the more and more people get involved with the mapping process, I expect it’ll become quite the resource to lost and lazy players everywhere.
Good luck finding Wii Fit if you haven’t pre-ordered. With news that the exercise and fitness “game” from Nintendo is practically walking off the shelves in the UK as fast as they can be stocked (90 units per minute at Woolworths despite a hefty £70 price tag), North American gamers eager to get a shot at the latest craze might have some serious wait-time ahead of them.
Amazon.com is already warning about supply shortages and it looks like it was the eager shoppers who are going to reap the rewards of their obsessive compulsive nature. Who knows when we mere mortals, afflicted with a painful lack of attentiveness in the realm of virtual shopping, will be able to lay our hands on this prize. If it’s anything like the Wii rollouts…likely by the time I’m old and grey. For now, we can pretend to get in shape by watching a Wii Fit trailer:
If owning a projector to blast your games into infinitely more massive dimensions isn’t nerdy enough, why not take it the interstellar level with this replica of R2D2, you know the kind they pushed as oversized souveniers? Mmm hmm, well Nikko Home Electronics has taken the take-home robot idea to a whole new level and turned R2 into a one stop shop for multimedia coolness.
For a mean $3K, you can get a customized R2D2 that allows you to project movies and games out of his eyepiece and onto nearby walls up to a nifty size of 260 inches. Compatible with DVDs and all the current console releases, this cheeky little bot is bound to be the centre of the party.
Have a Star Wars fan on your Christmas list? Start saving now…
A couple of months ago I posted Inside World of Warcraft Episode 1, which was wildly hilarious (if you’re familiar with the game). Here goes episode 2 in the series, which premiered on YouTube a couple of days ago.
Reviews are mixed for Episode 2, and some are saying it’s not as funny as the first one (it’s not), but worth watching if you’re into keeping up with the series. Hopefully Episode 3 will pwn all.
SingStar PS3 is finally coming to the US and Canada, so expect it on your retail shelves on May 20th. Aaron Orsark, the US Producer for SingStar, posted some information about the game and what US players can expect.
The game will launch with 30 songs, and the US SingStore will make around 200 songs available for download. Each song costs $1.49. The songs come complete with the original music video. Sony’s goal is to add 25–50 new songs a month, which is pretty exciting for those of us who get tired of singing the same songs over and over.
For those of you who have a bit of an exhibitionist side, there’s also My SingStar Online, which houses your SingStar identity and via the PlayStation Eye, you can vide, rate, and post your favorite videos, audio recordings and snapshots so that others can make fun of you think you’re awesome.
Launch day will also include a free patch that will feature the following:
Enhanced harmony duets
Separate Battle mode difficulty selections
Lag calibration feature for different TV types
PSP remote play
And my love for SingStar continues to burn bright. So much love for this game. I can’t wait.
Sierra Entertaiment’s Ghostbusters: the Video Game is in the works and due to release across multiple platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS2, PS3, Wii and DS. Information from QJ.net reveals that the task of developing the game across of all these platforms is a bit involved.
Developer Terminal Reality, therefore, intends to work on the PlayStation 3 version before moving on to the other consoles. The reasoning behind this decision is that the PS3 is different from the Xbox 360 and the PC. Its multiprocessing model sets it apart from the others, making the development process more complex. Since the Xbox 360 and the PC “share a general-purpose multiprocessor coding model,” the company decided that it would be simpler to deal with the PS3 first and then move on to the Xbox 360 and PC.
Looking forward to seeing the finished product across the consoles. The game is scheduled for a fall 2008 release.
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