The Daily Quest : christmas

Top 5 MMOGs to try this Christmas

Indelible — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 17:22:33 GMT

It's no big secret that a lot of MMOGs offer limited trials for people to try it before they by it but finding the time to break away from your already-established characters on games like World of Warcraft can be hard, when you consider the high level requirements. This isn't so much of a problem at lower levels, as you can spend your time solo grinding but when you are level 70 (for example) and much of your gameplay revolves around party/raid/team play, you find yourself in a bit of a sticky situation.

The Christmas period is no doubt going to come with a large degree of silence on the raiding and Arena front, with large proportions of guilds and teams preferring to take a couple of weeks out to mingle with family and friends over the festive period. This is, in essence, the perfect time to crack open those trials and get on with some exploring, so that you can't be accused of ignorance.

So go grab those party hats, poppers and finger foodstuffs and lets get on with some trialing, shall we?

Top 5 MMOGs to try this Christmas

5 - Fury

Fury wasn't received well and you will see why when you play it. Initially, it was buggy, unbalanced and lacked the diversity needed to provide continuity on the level MMOGs should do and yet I feel it is worth playing at least once. The game is tuned towards PvP so if you don't like being pitted against other players, don't play it. Personally, I don't think I'll pay to play this title but if it were F2P I would spend some time on it. All in all, it is an entertaining title that isn't going to be a waste of time - at least, not if you play it sparingly.

4 - Guild Wars

Guild Wars is another game that is worth playing not only through trial but also as a "grind" breaker. With over 4,000,000 players spread across the globe, Guild Wars is truly an MMO and what is great is it is good AND free - a rare combination. With Eye of the North, the only true expansion for the game, having recently came out providing high level players more items, areas and content there is plenty to keep you going and you never know - you may find that it is worth playing now and again, as I do.

3 - Lord of the Rings Online

Whilst not the most splendid MMORPG I’ve very played by a long way, Lord of the Rings Online is one of those franchise titles you have to jump into (much like Stargate Worlds and Star Trek Online will be…even if they are really bad). It’s not that bad either. It doesn’t present any genre defining concepts and its idea of PvP is a little weird for my liking but it is entertaining enough. It also feels like more of a casual game, despite the fact that you need a super computer to run it…

2 - Hellgate London

Hellgate London isn’t the smoothest game by any stretch of the imagination but it is a game that comes packed with nostalgia. Remember Gauntlet and Diablo? Those are just two of the genre defining titles that Hellgate reminds me of when I play it. If you played Diablo 2 or any RPG after, you will defiantly want to at least try Hellgate London as it really does make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Hopefully Flagship can iron out the creases as this game has a lot of potential.

1 - Eve Online

CCPs Sci-Fi based MMORPG Eve Online has been praised all over the place. Many consider it the most innovative and best MMOG out there despite the relatively low number of players. I myself am not a big fan of the undirected open gameplay Eve forces you to undertake but with a major content patch and graphics overhaul going live today, you'd be a fool to not take a peak for at least a few hours. Whilst the gameplay didn't keep me riveted to the seat for hours on end, it is an entertaining concept that is worth playing through trial at least once. If CCP add some continuity and guidance to it the earlier game, I may consider playing it full time but for now, I'll just say it is worth a trial and save the criticism for another day.

The game that got left out (aka The Boobey Prize)

Some of you are blatantly scratching your heads at the moment, asking why I have left out that household title. I even mentioned it right at the very top of this post. Well, the reason is simple. You are visiting an MMOG portal site so I am going to assume that you know the basics about MMOGs. As such, why list the titles that are clichéd in such a horrid way?

World of warcraft

World of Warcraft is not just an MMORPG. It is a household name, along with Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fastest selling PC franchise of all time and also the highest earning PC franchise of all time. It is the single most clichéd, overused, over-appreciated games ever made. Period. It has been used to advertise films and cars and even music. It is going to evolve into a movie franchise. It has already been novelized, even graphically. Why list it when it is that blatant?

It is worth playing, yes. Is it on my list? No! Will it ever be? Possibly… when I am done denying my love for the title.

All I want for Christmas… is a Hearthstone?

Indelible — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 16:36:44 GMT

Christmas is fast approaching. Only 3 weeks now to get those presents ordered and get the wrapping paper primed. You’ve got the wrapping paper I take it? Sticky tape? Cards and labels? All is well then… but wait! What’s this? You haven’t got any presents?!

Christmas has to be one of the most expensive and difficult times of year. I myself am pretty poor at buying people presents and so I stopped doing that last year and resorted to getting cards for friends and risking presents only on close family.

What do you do when you run out of ideas though?

Well in true style, most if not all of my friends play World of Warcraft and there are plenty of World of Warcraft goodies out there to keep you and your friends entertained this Christmas.

I took a look at some of the gifts available and I decided to share with you my…

Top 5 Wold of Warcraft Christmas Presents!

5 - The Hearthstone Soap Bar

When I saw this, I actually laughed. It has to be one of the greatest gift ideas ever imagined! You get 2 bars when you buy them, so you will not run out for a while and the good thing is that they are made from friendly ingredients that aren’t going to burn your skin like Sulphuric Acid. For those of you not in the know, a Hearthstone is an item that you can use to return to a predefined location (restricted to Inns) every one-hour. I have a few smelly friends. I think they could use a Hearthstone to the bath.

4 - WoW Mug… with your character on it!

I’m getting one for myself irrespective of whether I get one for any of my friends or not. In 2 or 3 years, when we’ve all moved on to newer, greener pastures and we have forgotten our login information and payment details, we’ll still have this mug, with a picture of our character on to fondly remember the hatred we felt for Paladin/Warrior 2v2 teams. It’s not that expensive either, costing the same amount as it would cost to change your characters name.

3 - “I Would Rather be in Azeroth!” License plate frame

So you are driving down the street, right? There are all these other people driving as well and they can see that you have a car… obviously… but how many of them play World of Warcraft? Well, you see a guy with a bumper sticker that simply says, “I play WoW,” but that’s just typical and nothing special. You on the other hand, have something of legendary quality – a license plate informing your fellow drivers that you would rather be grinding than driving.

2 - Warlock Action Figure

I think that Warlocks have to be the single coolest class in the game (apart from Shadowpriests of course) and as such, this one is going here because I’m probably going to get this for someone. It’s got a cool staff and cool gear and… well… it is just… cool. It’s clearly a fine present for someone who’s too n00b to play a real class… like Paladins (oh the irony).

Note: Before I tell you what my number 1 World of Warcraft present this Christmas would be, let us define a World of Warcraft player. A World of Warcraft player is someone who pays money per month to play an online game and has no inclination to stop doing so. Sure, you could get them a cup with their character on or a Hearthstone soap bar (to highlight their overtime on the PC not washing) but at the end of the day, this isn’t what they want. What every World of Warcraft player wants is simple…

1 - The Obvious Gametime Card

I’m sorry people but this is it. This is the top present you can buy for someone who plays World of Warcraft. The Hearthstone soap bar will last them a long time and the mug will give them the coffee drinking experience they lacked previously but 60 days of extra game time will give them something that not even a girlfriend or boyfriend could compete with – gear and/or experience. Whether they use it farming herbs or killing other players, 60 days of game time for free is like receiving a letter from THE Santa and not one of the pretend guys in suits.

It is truly a legendary item.

So there you have it. The top 5 World of Warcraft Christmas presents as defined by myself. They are ingenious gift ideas… after all, how to you please that which has no life? Ok… so I slightly altered that quote but it works none-the-less.

Or you could just give them that important present they’ve always wanted?