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Ask Massively: Declaring a moratorium edition
I am declaring a moratorium as of this edition of Ask Massively. A moratorium on what, you ask? Well, I hadn't actually gotten that far in my planning. I'm going to go ahead and declare this moratorium on Katy Perry, songs about California, episodes of The Office, films in the X-Men franchise, all movies featuring male losers hooking up with trophy women, questions about the site redesign, people in SUVs who feel the need to tailgate someone else, head colds, and Boggle. So all of those things have to stop right now. You heard it here first. Of course, since this week's batch of questions came in before a moratorium was declared, it would be unfair not to answer the site redesign questions that were already submitted. But no more, seriously. It would also be unfair to not answer the other questions that were asked, although they aren't related to anything within the moratorium. So click on past the break for this week's questions, and send your own along to ask@massively.com. Or just leave them in the comment field, no biggie.
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Starting fresh and clearing conceptions
So last week I had announced that I'd be going through some Mission Architect content for this week's column. There were two things that derailed that event, however. The first was dealing with the aftermath of a Thanksgiving holiday and an immense patch for another game which I cover, which meant that my playtime wasn't sufficient to give the submitted arcs the full attention each deserved. But the other one was a bit more interesting from a City of Heroes point of view, coming from a friend who decided to take advantage of the pricing on Monday and purchase the heck out of the game. On the one hand, it's great that buying the game and getting into it are now so cheap that it can really be bought on a whim -- players can look forward to a pretty steady influx of new blood as a result. But City of Heroes, for all its casual-friendly nature, is a six-year-old game with all the complexity those years would imply. It's very easy for a new player to start in without the slightest idea of how the different archetypes play, or with ideas about the game that are built by other games. And life as a superhero is a pretty different experience than leveling yet another character in your fantasy game of choice.
The Daily Grind: Do you wait for reviews?
There's always a bit of apprehension when it comes to picking up a new game -- it might be great, or it might be terrible and mean that you're out time and money. Picking up a new MMO on launch day is even more of a gamble, since it could result in your being in on the ground floor of the next big thing... or it could mean wasting a month of playtime on a game you don't like. So it can be tempting to wait for a review of some kind to come in from sources you can trust. On the one hand, having a review means that you have some idea of what you're getting into before you buy. On the other hand, reviews of MMOs are difficult at the best of times and outright incomplete at the worst -- after all, it can take a long time to reach the endgame and see all the game has to offer, at which point you're no longer in on the ground floor. So do you wait for reviews? How many external opinions do you need or want before you'll commit to a new game?
First Impressions: Final Fantasy XIV
There are times when my job is kind of a mixed blessing. Case in point: It falls to me to talk about my first impressions of Final Fantasy XIV, which is about as not for everyone as a game can possibly be. It features some things that seem custom-built to annoy certain players into apoplectic fits, starting with the controls and the hardware mouse that has been absent for the whole of beta. (I don't know whether it'll be in the launch today. But probably!) I would be remiss not to mention any of these elements. On the other hand, I adore this game. The game isn't what I would have made; it's better, and it hits so many notes in just the right way that I don't particularly care about the discordant elements. So that means that my job is to give a good idea of how Final Fantasy XIV plays without letting my deep, unrestrained affection run rampant. Still, enough about the balancing act I have to go through -- how does the game actually play?
