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The Daily Grind: What games go overboard with effects?
It's not that I don't love City of Heroes, don't get me wrong. And it's not that I don't love the flashy and unique animations that every powerset gets to show off. But when you get in a full group of people exploding with various powers, the whole screen turns into a sustained burst of white light grouped around a red box that's probably your target. It's kind of overkill at best, and it makes it near impossible to see what's going on at worst. Maybe you don't mind the effects in the game. Maybe you find Final Fantasy XIV's dramatic spotlight for weaponskills or the constant beams crossing in Star Trek Online more obnoxious. Whatever the context, there are doubtlessly games in which you feel there's a bit too much going on in the midst of a battle. So what game do you feel goes overboard with effects when you want something just a bit more straightforward? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: What's your favorite combat ability in any game?
You may not like the fact that combat is a consistent part of most MMOs, but it remains a truism. And in a way, it's better like that, because it means we get a much wider array of spectacular combat abilities to choose from. From Ultima Online onward, players have been able to unleash a variety of devastating and frequently impractical attacks against harmful enemies, until they're essentially leveling thermonuclear warheads at an average forest squirrel. City of Heroes allows you to rip opponents through a wormhole. Final Fantasy XIV lets you incinerate land and earth around your target. Guild Wars lets you unleash a series of cuts too fast for the eye to follow. Out of all the destructive and sometimes ridiculous skills you've seen in MMOs, what qualifies as your absolute favorites? Are they abilities with impractical uses but a lot of flair behind them or solid workhorse abilities that might not look as spectacular but work like a charm? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
