With a new month comes a new update on the MMO front. As I decided to start this last month I had a bunch of games on my mind and have come across new ones since. I also found out some terrible news shortly after I started my research about game development that has stopped unfortunately for one of the consoles.
Champions Online (360)
This game is basically a new version of City of Heroes/Villains with a new storyline and a completely new city to explore with updated everything basically.
The main appeal was that it was going to be released on the Xbox 360 and because of that the developers put a great effort to make it work great with the 360 controller. I have only heard good things about it and hope I get to try it myself soon.
The problem now is that because it is rumored that Microsoft and Cryptic couldn’t agree on prices and the business end of the game it appears we won’t ever see that game on the console. For the past year or so I have heard that it was finished but Microsoft and Cryptic couldn’t agree but seeing as it has been more than 12 months since these arguments were known to the public you would think progress was being made.
Nope you wait a year just to find out you can only enjoy this game on the PC.
Star Wars: The Old Republic
Set to be a true runner in the fight to take World of Warcraft users out of the…World of Warcraft. This game has shown barely any features or gameplay of any sort. That has not stopped the fans from flocking the forums and getting very excited.
With the classes including smuggler,jedi knight,trooper, and jedi consular with the dark side having equal counterparts with bounty hunter,sith warrior,imperial agent, and sith inquisitor. This game looks promising for all Star Wars fans. Last night they even announced the last class Sarlacc Enforcer.
This game is in development by Bioware which if you are fans of Mass Effect,Dragon Age, or any other RPG’s that have been made by them you know the franchise is in good hands. They were recently quoted as saying that they will need at least one million subscribers to break even.
That should really show you how much work is going into this game and with a fanbase like Star Wars they are expecting at least two million subscribers.
I have not personally seen the Star Wars films for some reason but I am in the process of buying all 6. I have played many of the games but for reasons unknown have never seen any of them.
…and if you are questioning its ability to overtake WoW then think about this: It took me 3 days to submit an application to get into the beta back in October when it should have took 15 minutes, but because of all the traffic it was almost impossible to get through.
Undead Labs MMOZ
The Zombie MMO slated for console release is still very much in development. Their website Undead Labs almost feels like a joke. The developers are constantly watching zombie and apocalypse movies and talking about what they would do to survive and everything I used to discuss 2 years ago when I was in high school.
That being said according a recent interview this game won’t be around for at least a year or two. Mostly because the lead man Jeff Strain wants to make sure it is the best as possible for people to play so they could advertise as so. Making sure it doesnt end up on some shelf with players picking it up on accident.
Some interesting information about its development though. They are shooting for a ”massive persistent world and large player population dynamics – while moving on from some of the traditional trappings of the MMO.”
Console gamers should be happy to know that they seem very determined to not see this get thrown in the trash and with it only being released on consoles. So they technically can’t do the same thing like Microsoft and Cryptic has done with Champions Online.
The Secret World
The most intriguing story I have seen for an a MMO. This story usually goes with a single player game or maybe even a single/multiplayer game but never an MMO.
Created by Funcom (Age of Conan) Secret World is set in present day. The players don’t look like huge warriors,sorcerers, or super heroes. They look like you or I. Regular people.
Then the attacks start happening. Monsters start filling major cities and the heroes come out of hiding. With hero type powers like supernatural abilities or regular ordinary people wielding rifles and other guns ready to take down these threats with their own gifts.
This game will allow players to join religious type sects during this apocalypse and help that sect control the world during this time of horror. (I played enough Assassin’s Creed to tell you to stay away from the Templars because they are bad news).
The concept is new and interesting and would love to try it out. I will leave this with a gameplay trailer released during PAX and a quote from their website:
“The game has no classes or levels. Truly freeform character customization allows you to create the alter-ego you want to play, and gameplay that goes beyond the usually rigid MMO structure allows you to play the game the way you want to play it.”
Go to The Secret World‘s website to apply to get into their Beta.
