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The Think Tank: Do you believe in MMO reincarnation?
As living worlds, MMOs lend themselves to much more than just a simple shelf life. When they succeed, they can thrive; when they lose, they can lose it all. But some MMOs are returning from the dead lately, whether through a new publisher, as with APB: Reloaded, or through a complete redesign, as with Final Fantasy XIV. Further still, some games are enjoying renewed interest levels from players as game-changing expansions are being announced. So what does the Massively staff think of MMO reincarnation? Follow along after the jump to see!
The Soapbox: Give MMOs a chance
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. The very first Soapbox was penned by our Editor-in-Chief Shawn Schuster, who posited that MMOs have an hour to grab his attention -- or he was gone like the wind, baby. I understand where he was coming from and mostly agree with his sentiments, especially as someone who deals in many MMOs over the course of a year. Devs should work their butts off to give us a gripping and intuitive experience from the get-go, but lately I'm wondering if even the best beginning is enough for the community. At the risk of over-generalizing, I see signs that there's a chunk of MMO players that will never, ever be satisfied. These are the players who fully judge a game before it even releases, who perhaps relent to give 15 minutes of their precious attention before logging out and trashing the title all over the place, or who never let any past "failure" or perceived slight go so as to give the game another try. To them I want to say: Give MMOs a chance. A real chance. Do this, and you might just be surprised at how these games can delight you.
First Impressions: A second look at APB on launch day
On June 29th, 2010, Realtime Worlds launched All Points Bulletin, an MMO that was highly anticipated for its character customization options, open-world "gang warfare" PvP, and similarity to the wildy popular Grand Theft Auto series of video games. In fact, the original APB's lead designer was David Jones, creator of such classics as Lemmings and the original Grand Theft Auto. But six weeks later, Realtime Worlds entered administration, which essentially means that the company was having financial troubles but was allowed to continue running while looking for a new owner. That new owner didn't materialize quickly enough, forcing the company to announce the game's closure during what may be the shortest MMO lifespan of all time. But who should come to save the day on November 11, 2010? None other than K2 Network, parent company of free-to-play publisher GamersFirst, which swooped in to rescue the game under the new title APB: Reloaded. Today marks the official re-launch of the crime MMO on Steam, and I've been spending entirely too much time with the game, rediscovering why I both loved and hated the original version. Follow along after the cut for our second look at a First Impressions of APB.
The Daily Grind: When did giving a MMO a second chance win you over?
First impressions mean a lot, especially in our current blitz-quick consumerist culture. If a game can't win us over in the initial play session, then forget all of the man-hours poured into it and any of the content past that point -- we're through. MMO players are notorious for falling in and out of love with a title faster than the average bullfrog can blink, and that's just part of our charm. So it's not uncommon to see players cast a MMO away after the first day, week or month, never to try it again. But! Has there ever been a time when you did come back to a MMO to give it a second chance, and found that it won you over? Maybe this time, you were more in a place in your life to appreciate what it had to offer. Maybe you'd give the title enough time to grow, polish and mature so that the rough edges that grated no longer exist. Maybe you had friends convince you to come back, and you felt the seductive nature of the game that you missed the first time around. When did giving a MMO a second chance win you over?
The Daily Grind: If you could change a past MMO decision, what would it be?
Whether you're Marty McFly or stuck in Groundhog Day forever, we always have a fascination with the thought of going back in time to change a decision, right a wrong, or reverse the course of history. It's a hypothetical question that appeals to our sometimes crystal-clear hindsight: what decision of yours would you change in the past if given a second chance? Looking back over your entire MMO career, whether it spans a couple months or decades, what would be the one decision you'd make differently if you somehow go back in time? Would it be to slap your hand away from the keyboard as you went to sign up for a lifetime sub for Hellgate London? Would you choose to subscribe to a different MMO than the one you ended up spending years of your life playing? Maybe it would be a small change, such as starting a good friendship earlier, or investing heavily in Activision and Blizzard. One change. One decision done different. What would it be?
