Choose My Adventure: Let the new story begin
Oh, Choose my Adventure, it's been a long time; I've missed you!
Several years have passed since I started this little column up, and I've had a blast reading each writer's version of how to play through games chosen by you. Now I'm ready to jump back in and get my feet wet in another round of reader-guided adventures, starting this week!
For those who read my articles in the column's early days, you may remember that I like to make a bit of an RP story for my character's journey. I'll be doing that again this time by forging the narrative around a lone-wolf main character. So I've chosen seven games that I think would do well in that scenario, all games that haven't been done in a recent CMA. This week, you'll choose the game, but from there, you'll choose more about how I play and which direction the story's plot will turn.
Wurm Online: I make no secret about Wurm being one of my favorite MMOs, and I would have a blast playing it for CMA. It has such an open world that the story could be about almost anything: an explorer, a rogue hunter, a simple laborer in a large village, a ship's captain, or about a dozen other ideas. You would vote on whether I use an already-leveled character or start fresh with a new one.
A Tale in the Desert: I would start fresh in this one because I think it would make a better story. This one would be perfect for starting from scratch since the game is all about learning skills, collecting resources, and building your little corner of the world.
Fallen Earth: The last time we covered Fallen Earth was almost exactly three years ago, so it's been long enough to give it another shot, especially with the changes the game has undergone since that time. The world is open enough to provide several possibilities on a storyline, and you would vote on whether I start fresh or use my level 50 character (or one of my mid-level alts).
PlanetSide 2: This might seem an odd choice for an RP-heavy CMA, but PlanetSide 2 is much more than just a huge world full of thousands of people shooting each other in the head. There are plenty of opportunities to play the game any way you want, from a mercenary spy to a hot-shot pilot to a transport specialist to a field doctor to a dude who runs around repairing destroyed bases. There really are many opportunities for some great story arcs, and you would chose whether I play with a rookie straight out of bootcamp or my semi-seasoned veteran character.
Mortal Online: I set foot in Mortal Online exactly once in my life: at launch. Since I didn't feel like playing a buggy slide show, I never went back, but now that it's F2P with a more stable client (or so I hear), I want to give it a shot. Of course, I'd be playing with a brand-new character on this one.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: SWTOR is very heavy on the story, so this is a no-brainer for what I want to do. Oddly enough, it's never been chosen for a past CMA, so this would remedy that. You would chose whether I start with my mid-level Commando or Sniper or begin with a rookie.
EverQuest II: I'm one of about four people in the world who've never played EQII past level 5, so I'd be starting out fresh in this one. With so much to do (or so I hear from my co-workers), it would be a great opportunity to write up an exciting story.
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Be sure to get your votes in by Monday, December 10th, at 8 a.m. EST. From there I'll make sure I'm all patched up in the game of choice and present the next CMA on that Wednesday as a way for you to choose exactly how I'll begin my journey. That's when the real fun will begin. Be gentle!
It's Shawn's turn back in the driver's seat of Choose My Adventure with you as the co-pilot. It's going to be a rough ride, so put on your seat belt! If you want to read a full six weeks of farcical puns about cars and farming, be sure to tune in every Wednesday as the adventure continues to unfold.
