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Rise and Shiny revisit: Pandora Saga
It's been a while since I looked at Pandora Saga. It's been almost three years, actually. I decided to check it out again because, well, that's what this column is all about. OK, it's about revisiting games and introducing you to new titles through the eyes of a brand-newbie, but you get the point. After all this time, it was possible that the game had changed so much that it would be as if I were a brand-new player again. And in many ways, this revisit was experienced through the eyes of a newbie, but even still, I felt as if the game had not changed as much as I expected. It's a game that's great for PvP fans but might not be so great for fans of, you know, not PvP. I have no problems with fighting other players. But a game that isn't fun until after levels and levels and levels of grinding? That I have a problem with.
Amazon adds free-to-play games and services through Game Connect
Expanding its digital games store, Amazon.com has just added a new feature called Games Connect, which offers a selection of free-to-play games to customers and allows players to sign up for the games directly from the Amazon site. Titles such as World of Tanks, Stronghold Kingdoms, and Pandora Saga can now be downloaded through Game Connect. Amazon's offered a bonus for using this new service: When players create game accounts right from the Amazon product page, the account is automatically linked to their Amazon accounts so subscriptions and purchased virtual goods are sent directly to the game without the need of additional codes. Additionally, players who use Game Connects to link their accounts to some of the games will unlock exclusive in-game content. [Source: Amazon.com press release]
First Impressions: Pandora Saga beta event
When I was asked to check out Atlus Games' Pandora Saga in its new form, I was slightly excited. Only slightly, though. See, I've taken a look at it before and found a lonely game with nothing but grinding to offer -- at least at first. So I hoped that the game had changed some, perhaps matured a bit for this newer offering for a newer audience. I didn't know it back then, but the game I was playing was not really the North American release. I just signed up and played it, and I didn't pay attention to any warnings that "This is not the North American version!" if there were any. As it goes, this new version is really just a more localized and tweaked version of the previous game. The big difference for me came not in the form of quests and content, but in playerbase. The game space was flooded with players, most of them pining to hit level 30 first or run off to reported huge PvP matches. Again, I kind of felt left behind. Yes, I was given some handy experience potions and stat-increasing aids, but normally I play a First Impressions game a few hours a day for five to seven days. I had this game for only about three days. Click past the cut and I'll tell you more.
Rise and Shiny recap: Pandora Saga
Each week Rise and Shiny asks you to download and try a different free-to-play game, chosen by me, Beau Hindman. Some of the games will be far out of your gaming comfort zone, and some will pleasantly surprise you. We will meet each Tuesday and Friday night at 8 PM Central time, followed by this column the Saturday after. I welcome any suggestions for games, either in the comments or at beau at massively dot com. Pandora Saga is a great looking game, for sure. The very first thing I thought upon logging in was "This looks like Final Fantasy XI ramped up." Perhaps it all falls under some kind of overseas sub-genre of Anime-esque entertainment, featuring one giant race, one cute race and a couple regular ole' races. Frankly, I have never been a fan of Anime and can actually stomach the more "realistic" stuff less than the cutesy, giant-headed style, so Pandora Saga took some getting used to. Once I did, though, I found a pretty stout game that would work well for someone that has the time to dedicate themselves to one game. Even then, I think that a strong guild is must, being that many quests require a good deal of murdering. Come to think of it, this game is a lot like FFXI.
