Mobhunter 2007 Holiday Buyers Guide
by Loral on December 07, 2007
The holidays literally fell upon us here in the north east. While the gaming scene last year focused primarily on systems such as the release of the Playstation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, this is the year for games. It usually takes a year before console games really start to match the power of the hardware and this year was no exception. Nearly every week since the beginning of October, excellent games have been released for all of the top gaming platforms.
Today we will take a look at some of the better gaming gifts this year.
Systems
Top Choice: Nintendo DS
The Gameboy sold 118 million units in its fifteen year lifespan and now the Nintendo DS looks to leap over it. The Nintendo DS could very likely be the most popular game system ever made. It accomplished this feat in the following ways: it is priced well at $130, it has a large library of very good games, and it is easy to play. It isn't uncommon to see many non-gamers playing games like Brain Age and Pokemon every spare minute. If Xbox Live Arcade and the Nintendo Virtual Console show the popularity of casual gaming, the Nintendo DS manifests it completely.
The Nintendo DS is the best of all game systems on the market. Unlike the Wii's Wiimote, Nintendo and other third parties clearly understand how to use the touch screen of the DS. While not all of the top games on the DS use the touch screen, others, like Zelda Phantom Hourglass and Brain Age, use it completely.
For strong Nintendo DS games, look for the New Super Mario Brothers, Zelda Phantom Hourglass, Contra 4, Brain Age 2, Planet Puzzle League, and Geometry Wars: Galaxies.
The Nintendo DS will make an excellent gift.
Top Console: Xbox 360
Of all the current home consoles, the Xbox 360 is the best one. The controller is simple and elegant, a single device with enough buttons and controls to control some complicated games but ergonomic enough to make it easy to play some of the simpler Xbox Live Arcade games. Unlike the Wii's required classic controller and nunchuck, the 360's single controller is all that is needed for any of the 360 games save Guitar Hero or Rock Band for obvious reasons.
Technically the 360 is very strong. It includes in-game Dolby Digital sound and high definition graphics up to 1080p. If you want your new HDTV to look great, try out one of the better looking 360 games.
Xbox Live is an excellent online system and probably the biggest strength of the 360. One can buy the Xbox 360 basic system for $350 and immediately download ten game demos and maybe a hundred Xbox Live Arcade demos. Unlike the Wii's online store, a 360 owner can try out any of these game demos for free without any additional cost. Xbox Live also includes one of the best persistent player reputation systems. If you pay the 360 tax of $50 every six months, you can play games online with your friends as well. This multi-player tax is one of the drawbacks of Xbox Live, but it's a small one when you consider what you get for free.
Of all of the top systems right now, including the Wii and the Playstation 3, the 360 has the strongest line up of good games, the best characteristics, the best online mode, and at a decent cost. Save your money from the PS3 and save your time from the Wii; get the 360.
Games
World of Warcraft + Burning Crusade
The empire of World of Warcraft continues to grow with nearly ten million subscribers and generating over five hundred million in profit every year. For a game that requires staying power, WoW has it.
WoW continues to be one of the best, if not the best, massive multiplayer online game available. With beautiful graphics, a huge world, excellent solo, group, and raid play; the game has something for just about everyone. WoW can point its success to playing well on lower end systems, extremely accessible gameplay, and tons of polish. WoW itself can be purchased for $20 while Burning Crusade runs another $20. For forty bucks and $15 a month, it builds one of the largest and most beautiful virtual worlds ever to exist.
World of Warcraft isn't for everyone. While it appeals to the masses, others seek the worlds off of the superhighways of gaming. Everquest continues strong into its eighth year with the release of Secrets of Faydwer, a single package that contains the core game and all fourteen expansions. While not as newbie friendly or clearly accessible as World of Warcraft, Everquest contains years worth of content. Not bad for $25 on Amazon.
It's probably not worth mentioning considering the popularity but Halo 3 is the game to own on the 360. A strong single player campaign, excellent co-op play, and a deep reward system for the wide range of multi-player competition modes all combine into a game that will likely remain active for years to come. Halo 3 is the strongest 360 game available.
Half Life 2 on its own is an excellent game. The two expansion packs are each strong, although short, diversions back into the world of Black Mesa. Combine this with Team Fortress, a class based first person shooter, and then throw a 3d platform game in the mix and you have a lot to do in a single box. If you have only one game to buy, this might be the one.
Guitar Hero 2 changed how I understood video games. I have never had as much fun playing a game as I did nailing "Freebird" on Hard. I hosted "Dress Like A Rock Star" Guitar Hero 2 parties and played until my fingers went numb. Guitar Hero reminds us that the core of gaming is fun. The closer to fun the game keeps you, the better game it is. Rock Band appears to take Guitar Hero to the next level with new songs, additional instruments, and new modes of play. I've got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell!
Though I have not yet played it, Assassin's Creed appears quite strong. Some reviews point to repetitive gameplay as a failing but made up for with visual beauty and a very strong protagonist. This one appears to be a good one.
Though the top Xbox 360 seem to focus on first person shooters, Mass Effect may break the mold. A powerful story and character driven dialog seem to be the strengths of this game with a solid RPG engine within. I'm looking forward to this one.
The wild shot: The Ott-Lite TrueColor Floor Lamp
For the big reader in your life, nothing beats a good strong natural light. The OTT-LITE floor lamp brings out the pure color of a good graphic novel and makes sitting and reading a book over hours a true pleasure. It may look expensive but Michael's usually has them on sale for 50% off. I love mine.
Avoid the Wii
Everyone either has a Wii or wants a Wii. Though it's been out for over a year, Wiis are still nearly impossible to get. I've had a Wii nearly since its release. I waited in line at four in the morning to get one. I've played through Zelda and Metroid. It is with this experience that I can say the following:
Don't bother.
Though Zelda, Mario, and Metroid are all strong titles, they are at the top of a small narrow hill. There aren't a lot of games for the Wii and very few have used the Wiimote in any strong or positive way. Though sold as a system for non-gamers, the Wii is surprisingly complex with two main controllers, a classic controller, and a game cube controller all required to play across all the games the system can play. I can't see how non-gamers will ever be able to figure out the complex controls of Zelda or Metroid. Even as an experienced gamer with 10 hours of time into Metroid, I still pressed the wrong buttons. Though far more classical, I found the Xbox 360 controller to be a lot simpler and a lot more intuitive for the games that use it properly.
The Wii also lacks Dolby Digital sound and high definition resolution. While some may point out that few people have HDTVs, they are a lot cheaper now than they used to be and all the HD consoles will still play on normal TVs. The time for low resolution gaming is over. With every Wii game I play, part of me always wishes that I could play the game in HD.
Nintendo's Virtual Console game download system also trails behind Xbox Live for one clear reason: no free trial version. While I can try out every 360 game before I buy it, it will cost me ten bucks to remember how much I hated Contra 3. People shouldn't have to pay just to try out the first level of a game they paid for 10 years ago.
When all is said and done, the Xbox 360 is the strongest console out there. The Wii, while very popular, has clear shortcomings and, until it has a stronger library, can be easily missed.
So there we have this year's Mobhunter Buyers Guide. This is a great year for gaming on nearly all fronts. With the initial battles of the console wars behind us, now the publishers focus on delivering the best games we've ever played. Now is the time to enjoy them.
Loral Ciriclight
7 December 2007
loral@loralciriclight.com
Comment Posted by: Redhenna on December 9, 2007 09:53 AM
Needless to say, I personally would not recomend WoW to anyone. I find the gameplay boring, the graphics horrid, and the community annoying at best. To each their own of course.
I would recommend Everquest 2, especially for old Everquest players. They have done alot of things right in that game. It's nothing like it was at release, but the changes have been slow and steady, not drastic like the NGE. Tradeskills are well done, graphically it is spectacular, and it evokes a strong sense of nostalgia at times for EQ1 players. Two biggest downsides is that it is not optimized for dual core machines(whatever that exactly means), and so can run a bit sluggish at times(though on my over a year old system it is fine), and it feels at time like playing an old world bard in EQ1, constantly pressing buttons.
Another great game is Eve Online. It is strongly PvP oriented, though there is plenty to do outside of combat PvP, and for the most part, you can avoid that combat PvP. It has a great look, and is a wonderfull space based MMORPG. The skill system means that players with low playtimes are not as far behind as they are in other games, though high playtime players do still have an advantage. It's a complex, and hard game, with a steep learning curve, but wonderfull fun.
I know nothing about console games, but my little brother sweras by the Xbox 360. He and his buddies get together for at least 1 night a week to play Xbox games.
Comment Posted by: Krylax on December 10, 2007 10:43 PM
I would strongly recommend World of Warcraft. It's a great game no matter what your play style is, or how much time you have to play. Gameplay can be whatever you want it to be from fast and furious pvp action to laid back solo questing, to group quests, to raids. The classes are fairly well balanced and are very diverse in thier abilites. The graphics are beautiful and the world flows by you seamlessly. The game seems to be designed with one word in mind: Fun. The sesonal activites are great and new, free content is being added all the time. The designers of the game really seem to listen to the player base and design the game that the players want to play. That is extremely refreshing after playing EQ for years. Most of the community is friendly and helpful (there are exceptions of course. that goes for any MMO). Another thing I like is the 2 different factions. After playing a hunter to 70 on the alliance side I'm now playing a druid on the horde side. Most of the quests are different and it gives the game alot of replayability. No matter if it's your first MMO or you have played several, WoW has something to offer everyone
Comment Posted by: Aarkan on December 12, 2007 04:15 AM
I strongly disagree with your Wii review, though then again historically I have disagreed with most of your recommendations and lists of this kind. Now on to being productive.
Up until a few weeks ago I would have agreed with the Wii assessment, then I played Super Mario Galaxy. It took a year for me to like the Wii and to truly understand it, sure there are still the clunkers that have the controls tacked on or make poor use of the controls but the Wii now has a substantial library and at a fraction of the price of the PS3 and still $100 less than the 360 it is a very good system for all types of gamers of all ages.
Super Mario Galaxy is superb, please go play it right away. If you don't like it just sell your Wii on ebay because it's just a waste. Lego Star Wars also makes good use of the wii controls, even if it is just a button overlay it is responsive and I truly enjoy waving my wiimote to have Lego Anakin strike down Count Dooku with all of his hate. Guitar Hero is still a strong title on all systems and should not be overlooked and the various Wii Mini-game-games are excellent. Play, Wario Ware, Rayman, Mario Party are all great and fun for anyone who plays them. The Wii racing controls are also a lot of fun, Excite Truck and Monster 4x4 while older Wii games are a lot of fun that should not be forgotten. Newer racing titles are also promising. The Wii Zapper addon with Link's Crossbow training is fun and the Zapper does allow for more immersion into shooter games and is great with the excellent RE:Umbrella Chronicles. Ugh I'm rambling but... Don't just bash the Wii. Everyone does want it and a lot of people are happy with it. Also the cost of the controller isn't much different than the wireless 360 controller or the PS3 controllers. Except Nintendo never lied about motion sensing and force feedback.
Comment Posted by: Maglubiyet on December 12, 2007 12:25 PM
Wii & WoW blows. End of story. The share the same graphic beauty too which is nice in a DirectX 10 world. There is a reason old people and kids love these two.
If you ever played any of the old Madden games, remember trying to play on the hardest lvl's,the game physics didnt seem to apply to the computer AI? ya thats the Wii console. Hence you dont see the top end games for it.
and WoW? I would have LOVED to ditch EQ1,loved it. But I was playing for all of 3 minutes before I came across my first jumping pvp killing idiots. Now I was on a pvp server which I had heard was WoW's strenght and I'm not a morAn. I know pvp attracts those type of players. But... 3 minutes.... and the "s" wasnt a typ-o. If I wanted that kinda game play I would be roleplaying my Aaargon character in Halo. And the fabled easy solo/questing they have? If your in a wheel chair typing with a pencil in your mouth you'll love it. I havnt had things catered to me like that since my last massage parlour vist.
Comment Posted by: eqsleepswiththefishes on December 13, 2007 03:32 AM
"Now I was on a pvp server which I had heard was WoW's strenght and I'm not a morAn."
1. Don't play on a PVP server if you can't handle being killed by other players.
[No personal attacks - Loral]
Comment Posted by: Redhenna on December 13, 2007 02:40 PM
Krylax, what is it you like about WoW graphics? I seriosuly found them to be worse than pretty much any other game(EQ1 included outside of player models). Very cartoony, and nothing that really made you say 'wow, that looks great'. Color usage makes my head hurt in WoW.
I am not trying to ignite the great WoW vs EQ debate, not questioning that you like them, I am more just trying to understand.
Comment Posted by: lexor on December 13, 2007 08:33 PM
Initially I found the WoW graphics way too cartoony for my tastes too, but I gradually got spoiled by the fluid motion accompanying them. Now the EQ graphics look old and tired to me - not because of a lack of details but rather because every movement looks jerky and unnatural.
As far as the WoW community is concerned, with at least a couple of million active players, the community is what you make of it. I have had no problems finding friendly, mature, funny people to group with. There are ***holes in every game, EQ included.
Comment Posted by: me on December 14, 2007 12:44 AM
"But I was playing for all of 3 minutes before I came across my first jumping pvp killing idiots."
That comment alone shows you don't have a clue about WoW. There is no place in the game that a newbie of 3 minutes could run into a "PvP Killing" idiot that could have any effect on you at all. All the starting areas are NON-PVP unless you are a moron and attack the opposing faction player.
Yeah, EQ is still the best with a few hundred thousand accounts (note, not players) vs that crappy game that Blizz made with just short of 10 Million accounts.
Yeah, in the world of business you should always shoot for bottom of the barrel and never try to be on top. LOSER....
Comment Posted by: hedbonker on December 14, 2007 12:52 AM
I am surprised that Loral has not published an entry here to point out the significant damage that SOE is doing to EQ1 by neglecting the game. Every day I log in there are bots spamming every channel with their plat selling websites.
Every day I log in I hear more and more about MQers, GKers and the exploitation of Solteris. And SOE does not do a damn thing about any of this. It is diluting the game. It's hurting the game in a BIG way.
Thanks for the buyers guide. I learned nothing from it that I did not already know.
Comment Posted by: Greif on December 14, 2007 02:02 AM
Good Grief!
You people think MMOG PvP is the only PvP out there. Go get the Orange Box and play Team Fortress 2! Best PvP action game ever! Seriously.
Comment Posted by: Armarant on December 14, 2007 04:37 AM
Hedbonker wrote: I am surprised that Loral has not published an entry here to point out the significant damage that SOE is doing to EQ1 by neglecting the game. Every day I log in there are bots spamming every channel with their plat selling websites.
..
I would rather he do a entry about Legends of Norrath and why its probably a bad idea to dedicate so many game resources to giving LoN all the new illusions and familiars.
Comment Posted by: Krylax on December 15, 2007 11:54 PM
Redhenna, that's a very difficult question to answer. Graphics are essentailly an art form and art is very personal and subjective. Why do I like a certain painting? Why do i like a certain song? Why do I like a certain movie? I'm not sure why I like the things I like, I just do. Not trying to avoid your question I'm just not sure how to explain personal taste exactly.
Comment Posted by: pax on December 16, 2007 06:19 AM
Why do the EQ models look like they're having an epileptic seizure whenever they run? It's embarrassing! Not to mention the use of the same breastplate design from lvl 1 to 80. At least I can dye it pink...
Comment Posted by: mimosa on December 17, 2007 12:43 PM
Heh, gotta agree with the poster with the comment regarding the WoW community. If you can't find likeable players amongst a community of millions worldwide, I think that says a lot more about you as an individual than it does about the game. I've grouped with students, housewives, doctors, graphic artists, small business owners, programmers, engineers, members of the military, retirees, disabled persons, medical patients, car salesmen, kids, pet owners, former EQ players, web designers, and musicians among many others. Most were intelligent and polite and many were just exceptional people. I found the biggest bores to be the ones who took the game too seriously and treated it as a job instead of entertainment. I found the same to be true about EQ back in the day when it was actually worth playing.
Comment Posted by: Redhenna on December 17, 2007 01:20 PM
Krylax, you are right, that is a difficult at best question. It's just something that continually struck me with WoW. People talk about the nice graphics, and yet I find them just horrid, and do not see what it is that people find so nice. On the other hand, I find EQ2 graphics to be just breathtaking at times(Eve Online too, though in a completely different way), and yet I know some people do not like them. Heh, different strokes and all.
mimosa, I am not trying to say that all WoW players are bad, only that in the time I played it, I found a much higher concentration than I ever did in EQ. My first day playing WoW, I made a character(I forget what class/race) started lookingaround, and picked up some guy, following me around, saying over and over 'r u relly a gurl'. After about 20 minutes of this, getting majorly annoyed but unsure how to petition or ignore in WoW, I logged, and made a new character. Things went much better for a couple or so hours, until a popup window popped up, 'soandso has challenged you to a duel'. I click decline(by the way, pop up windows in an fantasy game are bad). Within seconds, the window popped up again, 'soandso has challenged you to a duel'. Again I hit decline, hoping the guy will take the hint. Nope, up pops the window again, and again...so I just leave it up and try and go about what I am doing. I was not going to struggle through ,andfigure out how to petition, and how to keep the stupid window from popping up, when all I wanted to do was explore and learn the game. Now note, this is one day.
Now contrast that to my first day playing EQ, when, in Qeynos Hills, I wandered into the high level skellies(I forget what the camp was called) and died. Person there sent me a tell, asking me to consent them, explained what it was and how to do it, dragged my corpse to me, explained how to use /loc, and told me about EQ Atlas, and finanly gave me a couple plat to help get me started. The contrast could not be more stark, more extreme between my first day in each game. Yes, there are good people who play WoW(I know some). Yes, I could have handled the things my first day in WoW better. But the contrast in the people was drastic, and noticable.
Comment Posted by: Ghost of Zek on December 17, 2007 08:21 PM
Redhenna,
First, just wanted to say Happy Holidays. That said, I wanted to drop my virtual 2cp into the mix.
Redhenna, if your as old school as I was/am with EQ such that your first experiences included higher level characters getting consent to drag your corpse, then we share some history in EQ.
Thinking back on EQ of that era, a couple things come to mind. At it's inception EQ was marketed as "paper and pencil roleplaying" brought to an immersive 3D realm. With a specific appeal to roleplayers and both current and former RPG'ers from games like AD&D, D&D, and GURPS. Heck most of us at first felt at home in EQ because so many of the concepts and arch-types where things we where familiar with.
There was a small aspect of PvP in the first year on the Zek server. And it was unforgiving to say the least.
On Zek, it wasn't uncommon to find your first hours of play where a mix of raw panic, and total distrust of anything that might be a player, as you were constantly being ganked.
On the rest of the EQ servers though, for the most part, you would run into very freindly helpful people, and roleplaying was not in the least uncommon.
At about the same time as Diablo 2 hit the shelves though, EQ got a sudden and large influx of new players. These where the Diablo 2 generation. If you where established in EQ at that time, I'll save you the bad memories. Suffice to say, I didn't enjoy that time.
Now, flash forward many many years. Blizzard for all it's good and bad, when creating WoW opened the door for both the old school EQ players who where looking for a place to play, and also for the Diablo 2 vets who where looking for a new place to collect 'ears' from.
In a nutshell, a lot of the good community of EQ was from a time when the MMO community as a whole was smaller, tighter, and more RPG related. While a segment of that community still exists, both still in EQ, and spread out throughout the MMO gaming-verse, it's also true that non-RPG'ers, people for whom the community of an MMO is immaterial, are also in the games.
Suffice to say, while you may have had a bad first few hours in WoW, many people make the same comments about EQ, EQII, Eve Online, D&D Online, etc. It's effectively luck of the draw, and it can shape your like or dislike of a game quickly.
Basically, pick any MMO today, and your just as likely to meet someone who's helpful in your first few hours, as you are to find someone looking to cut off a new ear.
Oh, and just to pay a quick homage to Loral's orginial artical having now hijacked another thread, I just wanted to add, I really want an XBox360, sorry, it's a must have, too many good titles where the art is, um "bouncy" :D
Comment Posted by: Redhenna on December 19, 2007 02:52 AM
Ghost of Zek, I was not quite that old school. I started playing midway between Velious and Luclin.
Comment Posted by: Aarkan on December 21, 2007 01:01 PM
Once again I have to disagree with Loral's judgment on the Wii. If you can get one go for it, it's a ton of fun with all the new games out for it like Mario, Metroid, Star Wars, NiGHTS, Sonic, and all the mini-game-games. If you're a hardcore console fps sorta guy it probably won't be your thing though there's still Resident Evil and the wii zapper to check out. Honestly there's so many games for wii I want right now I can't even begin to afford it.
Comment Posted by: me on December 23, 2007 10:19 PM
So just read that SOE is being bought out by an Indian company. ROFLMAO....adios EQ1, Matrix, Vanguard, LOLOLOLOL
Comment Posted by: Redhenna on December 24, 2007 01:05 AM
Smed's comment on the rumored sale(that you are two days late on btw):
"This story is completely false. We aren't for sale
No idea who made this up. We are in discussions with various companies in India about bringing our games to this growing market but that's it. We aren't for sale.
Smed"
Even the most cursory glance at the original story would tell you that it is almost certainly false, as the supposed purchase price was way way low, and the rational given for the purchase was at best iffy.
SoE being sold is unlikely, but not impossible. For anyone not actually a part of the process, denying a rumor of sale, and the inevitable denials that always precede an actual sale are identical. I think we can all think of examples of 'no, we are not for sale' that have prededed a companies sale. With that beind said, the details given in this case make it seem really unlikely that it is true. it seems highly unlikely that Sony would divest itself of a highly profitable division with a high upside and strong potential future in a growing market, and certainly not for the money rumored here.
Comment Posted by: Ghost of Zek on December 31, 2007 09:19 PM
Well the year is ticking down to it's last minutes and I thought I'd toss one quick question into the mix for any and all.
Note; I can't offer an answer of my own to this question as I don't have an active account. This month is my 10th month "cold turkey", with no active SOE accounts of any kind.
So that said, without further distraction, I offer up the following for debate/comment:
1) It's two months into the twelve month's that SoF needs to engross it's target audience; so, the question for those that play is: Is it worth it? If so, why? If not, why not?
Happy New Year all.
Comment Posted by: huckabee on January 4, 2008 03:47 AM
Nobody cares about SoF. Lich King ftw.
Comment Posted by: RosesAreRed on January 6, 2008 12:20 AM
Wellllll ... 2 comments
Why are the servers inconstantly crashing? with ROLL BACKS ??
And, if SOE is gonna do a SURVEY ... why no space for suggestions?
Comment Posted by: concerned1 on January 6, 2008 02:06 PM
loral,
where ya at? what games ya playing now?
Comment Posted by: Gitsnak - Formally Iaelail on January 11, 2008 03:39 AM
Hi,
As a player who has made the change from EQ to WoW, I have ot say that WoW is definatly the more polished of the two. I`ve got up to 65 in about six months even on my extremly casual play style, something that I never achieved in my 6.5 years on EQ.
The choice between the two games really depends on your style of play. I can log on to WoW and make progress on my toon with only an hour or so, as oppose to the same time with EQ and achieving nothing.
Bottom line is, however, that I stopped enjoying EQ, and found that I enjoy WoW a whole lot more. I play these games for fun and for me as an induvidual EQ just wasn`t fun anymore.
Comment Posted by: flax on January 13, 2008 03:51 AM
Yeah, EQ is really showing its age nowadays. Many of the people I know who still play it do so mainly because they don't want to give up all the effort they've put into the game over the years. That to me is a really poor reason for playing it. I'm into WoW, Eve, and Vanguard now and find them all vastly superior to EQ. They're all at least a generation ahead.
Comment Posted by: Loral on January 13, 2008 07:04 PM
I've been slacking when it comes to Mobhunter but I've been getting a lot done in WoW =D
I moved my 70 hunter, Glave, to a new server on Earthen Ring. I joined Lemming Juice, a nice big casual guild. I started working on my Karazan key and playing a few battle grounds (Gods I hate battle grounds). I've also been leveling up a Blood Elf Warlock to 30.
Anyway, lots of fun.
I have a few Mobhunter article ideas but I've fallen off for a bit and I can't say when I'll get to them. The two ideas I have so far are "What WoW Instances Do Right" or a "Burning Crusade Year Review". We'll see.
Comment Posted by: Solea on January 14, 2008 09:35 PM
Isn't this supposed to be an EverQuest journal, Loral? If you're no longer playing EQ, why not pass Mobhunter over to someone who is? I certainly don't volunteer, but the relevance that this site has to us EQ players is pretty much gone.
Comment Posted by: Ghost of Zek on January 15, 2008 08:14 PM
/pvp
Solea,
Not to kick the hornets nets too hard, but even die hard EQ fans should by now recognize that the MMO market as a whole has expanded, while the EQ fan base has contracted.
Just as Alla, IGN, Safehouse, etc., have all expanded, and broadend thier scope to encompase games other than EQ, and in some cases dropped coverage of EQ at all, it's reasonable to say that Mobhunter.com has a right to evolve with the change in times.
I'd certainly be the last person to advise Loral to drop coverage of EQ, but that said, I'd be the first person to recommend any/all Forum/Site owners to speak from what they know best; i.e. talk about the games they are playing.
After all, GUComics.com used to be a site that "just" covered EQ, or more specifically, one guilds life in EQ. Currently you'll see six months go by and not even a reference to EQ, or even SOE. Yet the site is more popular than ever, and more relevant to the gaming industry/community as a whole.
That said, frankly there's not a lot to "review" about EQ. There's a new "nerf" of campfires/banners, there's constant server crashes, etc. In short there's maybe a fair amount to complain about, but that's pretty well covered by the Veteran's forums. Does it do the game community any good to add more of that to the mix?
Lastly, Loral is pretty open minded on discussion high-jacks. I'd guess, if you had something you wanted to bring up in an engaging format, and you posted it, you'd probably get some feedback.
/pvp
Comment Posted by: Teremar on January 16, 2008 05:39 PM
Seems to me that most interesting writing comes when authors write about things that interest them. If that's not EQ for Loral for the moment...so be it.
So should he hand over the Mobhunter name to someone else? Well, when Moorgard sold out (jk) and handed it over to Loral, EQ was at its peak and web sites like Mobhunter were relatively rare. Now with EQ in decline and blogs a dime a dozen, if that, I'm not sure there's much of value to hand over. If someone create the next Mobhunter, they can start up a blog and start writing about EQ at any time.
Personally, I'll look forward to your thoughts about WoW instances Loral, though reviewing TBC is basically reviewing WoW as it exists today. It's not like EQ where if an expansion bombs people can go elsewhere.
If you're approaching Karazhan, you'll soon see what I think is the most striking thing about the current state of WoW: every playstyle has a way to get gear that is both very good and comparable to what's available from other playstyles. Raiders raid and collect drops, PvPers do battlegrounds and arenas and collect points in each to buy gear, single-group/small-raid players get badges of justice from Kara, ZA, and heroics to turn in for gear, and even soloists have rep grinds that allow them to purchase gear (though it's not nearly as nice). I'm not saying they're all perfect by any means. But people have been claiming for years that this kind of balance was either impossible or would destroy a game (in particular the raid game). Yet here it is in the biggest MMORPG around.
Comment Posted by: Loral on January 17, 2008 11:52 PM
Yep, Teramar, that is what I am finding. I have a piece of PVP gear for doing the battlegrounds, although I don't think I'll bother with the rest since Alliance gets destroyed in most of the Battlegrounds I've done. There are about five paths to high-end gear in WoW, and the game is still accessible enough to start a new character and not worry that you can never reach the end-game in any reasonable time.
Mobhunter has traditionally been about EQ but I'm not in a state yet to hand it over to someone else and I don't see why it can't discuss MMOs overall. A lot of the features from one ends up going to another anyway. We'll see what feedback I get from a strictly WoW article as soon as I can tear myself away from daily quests to write one.
Comment Posted by: Nolrog on January 18, 2008 10:56 AM
>>> That said, frankly there's not a lot to "review" about EQ. There's a new "nerf" of campfires/banners, there's constant server crashes, etc. In short there's maybe a fair amount to complain about, but that's pretty well covered by the Veteran's forums. Does it do the game community any good to add more of that to the mix?
Disagree Ghost. There's alot to think about in EQ right now. The 9th anniversary events are coming up soon. What would you like to see for the celibration of PoP? Now that EQ has moved to a 1 year expansion cycle, what would you like to see addressed? What should EQ do to make the game appealing to you again?
By the way, the campfire thing. It's a not a nerf, but temporary change until they can fix the exploit that people found.
Comment Posted by: Redhenna on January 18, 2008 02:32 PM
I wonder with Loral focusing on WoW, it might not make sense to add a writer or two to Mobhunters? Loral could cover WoW and general stuff, some one else could cover EQ and general stuff, and maybe another covering non EQ/WoW games? Would maybe generate more interest in the site, without increasing Loral's workload.
Comment Posted by: Loral on January 18, 2008 05:49 PM
How about this? If you are interested in writing an article for Mobhunter, send me a proposal idea to loral@loralciriclight.com and we'll take a look at it. I have no desire for a total monopoly on the site.
Thanks!
Comment Posted by: Ghost of Zek on January 18, 2008 07:59 PM
Ah Nolrog, my arch nemesis! Good to see you still wander the blog-sphere. If ever the day come that both you and Absor are slain, only then will I feel....blah, blah, blah.
Okay, sorry, I couldn't build up steam to get a good rant going there.
Yes! You are correct, as stated the change to campfires is to stop an existing exploit. A quick dig into the hacking forums says it's an exploit that's been in solid use for months. That aside, SOE hasn't issued any ETA for when the "fix" will go live, or when and if the other post release limitations made to campfire will be addressed. So the question is, how temporary is the change? I mean, we all remember the "short" change of adding port gnomes instead of boats when DX9 rolled out. That took what, 3 to 4 years to fix? Heck, is it actually fixed?
And yes, there are other things to talk about.
How about this. Your still an active player. What do you see as the answers to your own questions you posted? Let's hear your feedback? All of us can read the Vet forums, all of us can see the bugs, the problems, the exploits. What in your mind are the positives?
I /yeild the floor...
Comment Posted by: amurloc on January 19, 2008 03:01 AM
"Isn't this supposed to be an EverQuest journal, Loral? If you're no longer playing EQ, why not pass Mobhunter over to someone who is? I certainly don't volunteer, but the relevance that this site has to us EQ players is pretty much gone."
You've pretty much answered your own question here. It would be great to have someone volunteer their time to write articles that eloquently expressed my opinion and experiences of the game, but I'm not willing to do it and neither is anyone else. This site is called Mobhunter, not EQforums, and I personally appreciate writeups on any and all MMO's (including WoW).
Comment Posted by: Redhenna on January 19, 2008 01:28 PM
Loral, I want to be clear about this, in case I was not(tone is so hard to read in text, but I suspect from your tone maybe you took what I wrote other than it was intended). I in no way, shape, or form, meant my comments to be in any way critical of you for what you might post about(I regret in fact some comments I made some articles earlier in this regard), nor where they meant in any way as a negative.
I do think that a well written site, covering a variety of MMO's, with multiple writers, might be well recieved, and boost interest in Mobhunter, which I consider a good thing.
Comment Posted by: Loral on January 20, 2008 10:59 PM
It takes a lot to offend me and nothing written here has. The questions that came up here are questions I have pondered myself. I want Mobhunter to continue as a strong site and I think one thing I would like to do is get more articles here from more than just myself. I also plan to continue to write what I know and right now I don't know a lot about EQ or the new expansion. I do, however, know more about WoW than I did six months ago. So that is likely what I'll write about.
Mobhunter generates no income for me. Having readers is always important but I don't plan on writing articles strictly to generate high interest. I write what I want to write about.
Anyway, I'm procrastinating on my next article.
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