To kick off this week’s parade of MMO essays by bloggers in the virtual trenches, SWTOR site Going Commando gave us an honest review of the Manaan storyline from the recently released Legacy of the Sith.
“The first half of the expansion narrative, which is set on Manaan, is a peculiar beast because the overall plot doesn’t really have strong ties to anything that came before, and it doesn’t feel like it’s setting up a follow-up story either (though you never know, I suppose), which makes it a very odd fit for an expansion called ‘Legacy of the Sith.'”
Read on for more essays, including problems with Lost Ark, Burning Crusade Classic, Star Stable, and more!
Kaylriene attempts to nail down why Lost Ark isn’t really hitting the spot: “I love the combat in it – love it to death – but the elements of the game trying to be an MMO tear me away from it, and I resent them for it. Maybe once I get a stronghold or see the way systems interact with gathering, I’ll like it – but right now, it feels like a nuisance, and all the MMO elements – the numerous quests, the travel limitations, and the life skills – just get in the way of what I actually enjoy about the game.”
Inventory Full looked back at 30 MMO first impressions and then shared how those matched long-term reality: “It’s fascinating how most of my posts about New World‘s various betas emphasize how solid, stable and polished it is. I wasn’t alone in thinking that at the time. What the hell happened?”
Parallel Context singled out a questline from Burning Crusade Classic that hit really close to home: “And that’s what I hate about this questline: you know and can see how easily manipulated the two sides are, but like in reality, there’s nothing you can do about it. Most of us don’t have a pulpit to try to get people to see the other side in reality, so all we can do is watch the unfolding nature of events and feel helpless to do anything.”
The Ancient Gaming Noob looked at the arrival of the 64-bit version of EverQuest: “I do wish that the Norrath team would do an old school CCP-like dev blog about how the tech will help them. I know that they need to go there in order to ensure that EverQuest (and later this year, EverQuest II) remain active and viable titles in a world where 64-bit operating systems are now the norm and support for 32-bit will eventually go away.”
FiboJedi has a great guide up for LOTRO’s new Angle of Mitheithel area: “Here is my quickstarter guide to the Angle of Mitheithel, along with some screenshots of the region for you to enjoy. But don’t worry, I’ve not included any story spoils, so let’s get to it!”
Aywren Sojourner is having a blast in Star Stable: “I already liked the area of South Hoof Peninsula due to the Celtic theme of the area and the lovely music that plays there. So when I looked at my XP bar hovering just at the start of level 8 this past weekend, I decided I’d clean up quests in South Hoof just to nudge the bar along.”
Every day there are tons of terrific, insightful, and unusual articles posted across the MMO gaming blogosphere — and every day, Justin reads as many as he can. Global Chat is a sampling of noteworthy essays, rants, and guides from the past few weeks of MMO discourse.
