In the Cards - by Julie Whitefeather
Aug 07, 2007 13:52:25
Submitted by Brent on Aug 07, 2007 13:52:25 CST (comments: 0)
Aug 07, 2007 13:52:25
 It has been a big weekend of news, what with Blizzcon and SOE Fanfest going on at the same time. In Blizzard's case, the announcement of a new expansion - Just in time to pull back players that we know (from Blizzard's announcement of hitting 9 million players) that haven't left the game anyway. With the Wrath of the Lich King we will all be able to adventure for another 10 levels in Northrend. At discussions on classes, Rob Pardo, et al, is said to have told players that hero classes won't happen but that a new Death knight Class will.I still play Wow. No doubt about it. I still enjoy it. Still, pardon me if I don't hold my breath on the appearance of a Death Knight any time soon. Based on the history of the appearance of the hero classes I will only quote the old adage "fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me." But the promise of new content in WoW is always of interest. Perhaps, this time however, not as exciting as the last time. Why? The accessibility for which Blizzard is famous at the start of the game is still woefully absent at the end of the game. I have yet to see any indication that will change. What I am expecting this time, is more of what happened with the release of The Burning Crusade (TBC). The artists at Blizzard never fail to amaze. That is something we call all take to the bank. Their sense of humor always comes through as well. The downside is, last time it was level 60-70, run the Blood Elf through the low end content, and then wish the game was accessible at the back end as it is on the front end. But all the news this weekend did not come out of Blizzard... SOE does, of course, have its own EQ2 expansion coming out called The Rise of Kunark. That we knew about. They also have some new games coming out - Pirates of the Burning Sea, God's and Heroes, and The Agency. SOE is even reaching out to younger audiences with their Free Realms games. As huge as some of the new MMOs targeting younger audiences are, I am not surprised by this last move. The big surprise from SOE was, of course, the Legends of Norrath. No, the idea of a card game in an MMO is hardly a new one. Anyone that has ever played Vanguard and engaged in a bit of diplomacy can tell you about the card game within Vanguard. Still I am excited as I have come to expect innovative things from SoE. Sometimes those things are simple, but can have great effects. Such was the change in Echoes of Faydwer were the following was announced - "...bosses that drop legendary and fabled armor-set pieces in Echoes of Faydwer are now aware of which set pieces characters in the group/raid currently posses. These bosses will only drop an armor-set piece that someone attending needs." Why am I excited about a card game this time around? Well partly because I used to play a collectible card game. Many an enjoyable evening was spent at my favorite bistro playing Magic the Gathering with friends. It is not the loot cards that I find exciting, though there are to be such. The loot cards are to contain "awesome in game items". They are supposed to be more useful than items such as a turtle loot card that doesn't move any faster than walking speed. The first of two aspects of Legends of Norrath that I am looking forward to is being able to play it in game. The idea of playing a game inside a game goes back to being able to sit around a tavern in my old Ultima Online days having a brew and play a game with friends. I look forward to being able to have a brew and a game of cards with my Aussie friends "face to face" in EQ2. The interesting twist that I think I will enjoy greatly is that the mobs in EQ and EQ2 will drop cards. I was reading a blog recently where a comment was made likening WoW to "a good friend" that is "fun to be with" and describing EQ2 as a "hot foreigner you are dating." I think that sums up my reactions to all that has been released so far. No matter what your opinion of the latest news, we are all in for some exciting gaming. See you online, - Julie Whitefeather |
Submitted by Brent on Aug 07, 2007 13:52:25 CST (comments: 0)
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