We all know World of Warcraft, right? It's all over the internet so chances are, even if you never played a MMO in your life, you still heard about it. It's that game that gets people hooked faster than you can blink. Of course, as with any big thing, it has its detractors, still, the game has alot to offer to alot of different categories. Yes, the quests are dull and repetitive, yes, roleplaying (in the purist meaning of the word) is all but rubbish for the most part, yet somehow, the game's mix has the certain je ne sais quoi that fascinates. Mind you, I only say 'je ne sais quoi' as a figure of speech, the game has been debated and analyzed in more articles than you'd ever want to read. Eitherway, Warcraft's not the only thing I want to talk about, but I'll just use it at a start point for a few musings on MMOs and such. And if that doesn't appeal to you, there's screenshots!
Me, as seen on www.uglybatriders.com
I played WoW. For a few months, I did. Having found myself with too much spare time on my hands, I figured I'd find a MMO to play with my buddies. And there it was. Being a Blizzard admirer and having played Warcraft since its Tides of Darkness incarnation (that's Warcraft II), I fell for it quicker than a mouse would bite that tasty emmentaler off the trap. And I'll be damned if I regret it. My first character was an Undead Priest and I must confessed, I was mesmerised after the first two minutes. The Tirisfal Glades were plain magic. The music, the haunting atmosphere - fog, sound effects, the works. Granted, I couldn't help but notice that most of the quests were the same old "bring me x items of the same type" but unholy momma Sylvanas Windrunner Batman, this game felt nice. Needless to say, when I first reached the Undercity, saw that throne room and heard the whispers, I was already pondering solutions on how not to sleep ever again, so I can have more time to play this.
WoW kept me entertained for a good period of time. So many places to go, things to kill, instances to run, characters to try..I dropped it eventually and, scoff as you may but I don't feel bad for wasting time on it. It was fun. In fact, it was the most fun I've had in a graphical MMO since the old UO days. Yes, that's right, UO, I'll return to that subject later.
Now, why I brought WoW up? The other day, The Great Editor in the Sky (aka S. Kolle) mailed me this link to a beeb article on how companies fail. Basically, it gives a quick review of ye olde mentality that if something's a big hit, we should all go ahead and copy it like mindless drones, because it's the safe alternative. You've all seen WoW clones around. Some are Asian-made, others are Western productions, some borrow more, other less, none ever make it as big as WoW did. And I'm not going to argue that it's because WoW is a devil of a MMO paragon. Simply that it's several classes above the dopplegangers that followed. It was produced better, marketed better and sprang forth from the popular seed of an insanely well known RTS series. So why choose to play a game that looks, moves and feels like WoW (not to mention repeats its mistakes), only clumsier, when you could play..uh..WoW?
I said I'd come back to UO. I loved that game, I really did. Granted, it has long since turned into a shallow memory of what it used to be, but in its pre-AoS incarnation, UO rocked. Even with the separation of the land into Trammel and Felucca, separation that split the player base into fiendish, bloodthirsty PKers and dull, comatosis inducing crafters and peace lovers, it still was a great game. Again, I could point out that the game had a long line of singleplayer RPGs to back it up but on top of that, it also had a slew of good ideas in it (ideas that EA eventually slew one by one, har har!). For its day UO was great, and somehow, I feel that many of the MMO concepts that it helped establish are being seen as outlandish by producers who sheepishly go with the latest trend. Housing? An advancement system without levels, where your abilities increased in rank as you used them? Karma and fame? Virtues? You character not being limited by classes? Treasure hunts? Champion spawns? Mounts? I'll say it again, UO had lots to offer for back then. Graphics weren't bad either. Dated now, yes, but not bad. And all things considered, I'd still play it over a WoW clone.
Night out with the chaps at the local dungeon.
Still, all is not grim and dark and foreboding. There are MMOs with alot of potential out there. I'm looking at EVE, Vanguard, LOTRO (assuming the devs don't commit suicide from having to deal with so many nagging fanboys). Also, that Roma Victor caught my eye. Then, if you don't mind the lack of PVP, there's always A Tale in the Desert. Or, if the concept of 'no graphics' doesn't make your head explode, why not try some Kingom of Loathing? Or hey, a MUD. Alex, you wonderful bastard, what a magnificent idea! Poke your head out of your habitat, there's a plethora of good games out there, just that some are put in forms that might be new to you. Give them a try anyway. Stop playing WoW clones.
PS: on the subject of clones, I had this screenshot bookmarked. I don't remember what the game is called but does that interface look familiar?
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