Nice review, but I'm going to have to disagree with this statement. I've played every MMORPG since Everquest, including WoW since Alpha, and EQ2. WoW is an excellent game, and Blizzard is to be credited with waiting until they had a polished product to release (unlike EQ2). But it contains no real advances in gameplay. The mechanics are pretty much exactly the same, albeit with an attractive and well-designed interface.
I played it extensively in pre-release, but ultimately decided I am not interested in a rerun of the experiences of the past. Unfortunately, the major MMORPGs all seem to be converging on a set of features, which involve structuring the players experience to maximize the little mini-rewards such as experience and loot. This takes away from the original appeal of the virtual world, with degrees of freedom allowing the player to seek his own goals and write his own story. Some of the things I've heard about Vanguard have raised my hopes that this game on the horizon, designed by the original creators of Everquest, will both push the envelope in gameplay, and return some of the virtual adventure to the genre.
I'm in both the WoW and EQ2 betas and had quite the opposite impression. I found EQ2 to be so tedious as to be practically unplayable. WoW on the other hand is quite polished and fun, although not quite what I am looking for in a MMORPG.
Neither is really revolutionary, unless you consider adding voice features (annoying and pervasive in EQ2, minimal and cute in WoW). Both follow the trend of decreasing the degrees of freedom available to the player, resulting in more of a disneyland ride experience than that of a virtual world.
I've got my hopes set on Vanguard to be the next MMORPG of worth. I might play WoW on live, but really more to hang with my guild than anything else.
Tolkien's works are meant to be read aloud, far more so than the other authors of his genre. He drew his inspiration from ancient works that began as oral traditions. He also participated in regular reading of his material with the Inklings and elsewhere. Some of these readings have been preserved and are a must-listen for any Tolkien fan.
I don't think I truly appreciated Tom Bombadil, the Ent's war song, or Gollum's "gollum" until I heard Tolkien bringing them to life.
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I played it extensively in pre-release, but ultimately decided I am not interested in a rerun of the experiences of the past. Unfortunately, the major MMORPGs all seem to be converging on a set of features, which involve structuring the players experience to maximize the little mini-rewards such as experience and loot. This takes away from the original appeal of the virtual world, with degrees of freedom allowing the player to seek his own goals and write his own story. Some of the things I've heard about Vanguard have raised my hopes that this game on the horizon, designed by the original creators of Everquest, will both push the envelope in gameplay, and return some of the virtual adventure to the genre.
Neither is really revolutionary, unless you consider adding voice features (annoying and pervasive in EQ2, minimal and cute in WoW). Both follow the trend of decreasing the degrees of freedom available to the player, resulting in more of a disneyland ride experience than that of a virtual world.
I've got my hopes set on Vanguard to be the next MMORPG of worth. I might play WoW on live, but really more to hang with my guild than anything else.
You can download segments from the show here. Rob Cordry's fake investigative reporter segments are hilarious and dead on.
I don't think I truly appreciated Tom Bombadil, the Ent's war song, or Gollum's "gollum" until I heard Tolkien bringing them to life.