godhood
Latest
The Game Archaeologist and the What Ifs: Mythica
While Microsoft may be the big cheese when it comes to operating systems and worldwide domination, for whatever reason the company has the absolute worst of luck (or worst of decision-makers) when it comes to MMOs. Microsoft Game Studios has proven remarkably skittish when it approached the swimming pool of online RPGs, choosing to dip a toe into the water, give a girlie scream, and run away without taking the dive. True Fantasy Live Online had a bumpy ride with the studio, Marvel Universe Online circled the drain faster than my morning shower, and the less said about its relationship with Vanguard's development, the better. But there was yet another aborted project that Microsoft jumped into -- and then back out of -- between 2003 and 2004, and in my opinion, it was the one the company should've stuck out to completion. I remember when Microsoft first announced Mythica, because I thought "This is gonna be cool." Vikings, Norse mythology, gods made flesh, and a big-name studio funding limitless adventures. In the pre-World of Warcraft era, the field was wide open for a company to come up and rival Sony Online Entertainment for the crown, so why not this one? But... cold water, skittish toes, and another MMO kicked the bucket before it saw the light of its first day. Take my hand (don't worry, I washed today) and we shall travel back to Ragnarök and beyond!
