The Daily Grind: What game is wearing you down?
Filed under: Tips and tricks, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Humor
There's always that one game. We all know what it is, even though which game it is changes for person to person, but we know about it because we're adamant that we won't play it. We don't want to. Half the time we've read up on the game and explained in detail how many things we dislike about it and why we're certain -- certain! -- we would never enjoy it. Other players can praise it to high heaven, over and over, but we won't even touch it. We don't want to, no way.
Cue two months later when we're playing it and won't stop talking about how awesome it is.
What game is slowly wearing down your resistance? Because there is one, we all know it, and it's half a question of whether or not you admit that your resistance is slowly eroding. Is it the newly free-to-play Dungeons and Dragons Online, because you don't like the business model? The nine-hundred-pound gorilla that is World of Warcraft? Maybe you're pretty sure you'd enjoy EverQuest II but you still have a lingering resistance to playing ti for whatever reason. Which game have you sworn up and down you won't play that you're growing more attracted to -- or, which ones did you swear you wouldn't touch in the past that you're now thrilled with?




















Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jack said on 8:34AM 10-17-2009
I wish I was able to enjoy Everquest 1/2 but I can not like it got a sub model and a ingame store. I wish I was able to enjoy Lord of the rings but I can not like its somehow boring for me....
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Wisdomandlore said on 8:52AM 10-17-2009
I swore I would never play EQII (the awful art direction turned me off), but then I tried it again a few weeks ago and actually liked it a lot. Now I'm trying to decide between EQII or finally giving in and getting WoW (I'm tired of my current MMO, LOTRO).
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Tyranor said on 9:01AM 10-17-2009
If you're looking for something in that genre, try WoW...really. There's a reason it has that many subscribers!
Alternatively, you could go for something completely different? EVE? Dragonica?
Mooncalled said on 9:23AM 10-17-2009
That game was WoW for me. I said I would never play it. I had resisted for two odd years. Then...it happened. A buddy of mine on the east coast suckered me into a 14 day trial. I've since kicked the habit.
I owe it all to Guild Wars. Of course I loved Guild Wars from day one. I may have cheated a little by trying other games, but I always return to Guild Wars.
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JP said on 9:43AM 10-17-2009
LOL. Funny this should come up...
you can look through my post history about LOTRO and see my comments about how I just wasn't interested in the game. I think Turbine makes some very gamer-friendly choices, but ultimately, I have never been into the LOTR scene.
... then, my wife said "I'd try that" and we haven't played together in about a year (I got sick of CoH, and she hasn't been all that interested in anything I have since) so, I finally decided to give it a go. All I had to lose was 10 days if it sucked.
Well, I've been really surprised at the level of depth in the game, and the class mechanics (thus far) seem well done. Sure, it's starting to show it's age now, but overall the game feels alive and vibrant. And I've found myself researching and learning more about the lore then I thought I would.
we're subbing, and my "you don't deserve my money" stage is over. Plus, I'm playing w/ the wife again, so it's totally worth it.
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Sam said on 9:50AM 10-17-2009
are you levelling on Elendilmir? I've seen several two-person teams levelling up there recently...
alchemda said on 10:09AM 10-17-2009
I would have to say Fallen Earth. For the longest time I was very "Meh" about this game. The dated graphics engine, the post apoc setting, and a low grade game by a small company were really kind of a put off. I said this game just doesn't seem like it's for me and brushed it aside.
Then I started reading this site and multiple blog posts about it (Syp and some others). I'm getting very interested in it now. I loved the crafting in SWG, everything was player crafted, large open worlds, wild frontier kind of feeling. I've been finding out that Fallen Earth has a very similar player economy and crafting system as SWG. It also has a big sandbox open world kind of wild west frontier as well.
I'm finding the post apoc setting actually kind of interesting after reading how they really try to bring the world to life with the factions and the mutants and radiation zones and the small shanty outpost towns. Its a fresh take on an MMO and its beginning to be refreshing. Apparently you can get a mount later in the game that is an Interceptor, its like a Mad Max gas guzzling armored car to ride around in the wasteland... How cool is that?!!?
So yeah, I'm starting to feel that itch.. to feel that need to try something new, my ADD has kicked in with Aion and now I'm wanting something new. The only thing stopping me is a Trial program.. they don't offer one yet
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Quez said on 10:29AM 10-17-2009
Haha, How funny is the similarity between our posts? Mine was being typed while you posted--it's the one right after this one.
I loved SWG also. Everything about that game was great for the first year it was out. Then I switched to FFXI. If Aion doesn't 'do it' for me soon, I'm going to give Fallen Earth a shot.
Quez said on 10:23AM 10-17-2009
Aion. I just didn't want to like this game. Coming from a GREAT guild in WAR, with mature and smart leadership and players, I was very hesitant to switch games, knowing that I probably would have a hard time repeating or even coming close to finding people like this in Aion. So far I have talked to one person for about 3 minutes.
I'm actually level 20 now, and so far it's pushing me to at least get high enough to play some RVR. If the RVR doesn't do it for me, I probably won't play it anymore. I don't like the fact that the game has given me ZERO reason to play in a party, when I can solo mobs for 6000xp per kill pretty quickly. I like to solo grind in MMO's, it really doesn't bother me. I like to explore. Aion has no exploration apart from the initial discovery of areas. Once you grind there, you move on. I love the combat mechanics. The animations are wonderful. The crafting is cool and rewarding. It's easy to make kinnah(gold). The game has a ton of positives going for it, but the community is lacking for me. Call me picky about who I choose to play with, but I haven't seen one "guild recruitment spam" message that even interested me a little bit. I guess I should start my own, eh?
I also noticed that most of the public chat seems to be people yapping endlessly about other games (WoW). At least the gold spammers appear to be gone for now.
Time will tell with this game.
I'm really intrigued by Fallen Earth, and I want a reason to play it. It's very hard to find player feedback on that game though.
I think the main problem nowadays is there are just too many cool games that are worth trying, but none that will completely blow you away and make you stay.
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Bryan said on 10:37AM 10-17-2009
Currently Fallen Earth. I'm getting the itch to play it. For something new, a change of pace. Just really wish they had a trial. With Dragon Age about to release I need to save my duckets for that, hence why I wish FE had a trial.
I was going to say Aion. But I really feel like vomiting every time I think of the game. I think it is all the overhype that makes me sick and I almost fell for it, until I trialed the game and hated every moment.
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murraykeele said on 11:29AM 10-17-2009
Refer to this page for possible trial...
http://www.fallenearth.com/node/207
Jonsonline said on 12:24PM 10-17-2009
Definitely Dragonica. But if someone would pay for me to play WOW, I would. Loved it. But no $$
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Jess said on 12:52PM 10-17-2009
AoC.
Been back 3 times.
Never again!
(ugh...)
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killer.rabbit said on 1:17PM 10-17-2009
That game for me was Age of Conan. I was hesitant to try it due to the launch issues last year.
I started off playing WoW, but got tired of the click-and-forget combat and dated graphics.
So I switched to Aion, having more advanced graphics, but got tired of both the lack of level 18 quests and again the click-and-forget combat. My friends and I also ran into situations in Aion where a single level 18 enemy in Blackclaw Outpost was kicking butt on our level 18 cleric, level 18 templar and level 12 mage attacking him at the same time...what?
So I started playing AoC a couple of days ago. I've had very few issues w/ the performance so far and the interactive combat, overall graphics, voice-overs and soundtrack are absolutely fabulous.
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Dareth said on 6:29PM 10-17-2009
Hmm... Let’s see...
Most recently, DDO falls into this category.
I played in the beta and from what I saw it was drab, complicated and not worth the monthly fee. When the beta ended I never even gave it a second thought.
They announced it was going free to play and it got my attention (I don’t care what others say, free to play is the only way to play), then I saw that hilarious broccoli ad and I had to try it (ads don’t usually effect me, but who can resist a game without broccoli?). I tried it out and it’s obvious they’ve made improvements, but the thing that really got me was the way they actually made things like jumping have a use! Either they didn’t make it obvious enough before or I just never noticed it, but in DDO, instead of just having jump so people can bunny-hop around, jumping allows you to get places and do things you couldn’t otherwise get to or do. They’ve also got tumbling for getting through traps unharmed (if properly timed) and you can grab onto ledges and pull yourself up (something nearly all other MMOs don’t have and I don’t know why).
Hey, MMO companies, you listening? You want me to play your game? Make it have a free to play option, make ads featuring vegetables or other silly foods getting beaten up, and do something different for a change!
Besides that, I can’t think of any games that have worn me down. But I can think of plenty I’ve sworn never to play that I know I never will play. Pretty much any game with its main focus on “kill 10 rats” quests (or “slay 20 orcs”, or “defeat 35 giant killer turkeys”, or “collect 100 slightly chewed liverwursts”). Those boring, uncreative, pointless quests have gotten old, died, been needlessly resurrected hundreds of times and have turned into fun-eating zombies. The sooner game developers find something better for us to do with our time the better.
Take a look at Guild Wars: Did you know it has a grand total of 3 kill count quests in the entire game? THREE! Sure, there are quests where you have to kill a certain amount of enemies to defend a location or get through an area, but only three of all the quests in the game have your only goal a kill counting goal. And all three of the quests you can just forget you have them, do other stuff in the area and, surprise! You’ve done the kill count quest! Because instead of “kill 10 scruffy-looking minotaurs” the quest just says “Kill 10 minotaurs” and every minotaur counts as a minotaur!
Hmm... I seem to have derailed a bit.
To sum up: DDO got me interested by being free to play, it got me to try it out by making me laugh and got me hooked by being actually fun to play and not just another WoW clone!
Dareth.
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IamTuck said on 11:32PM 10-17-2009
Haha that broccoli ad is what got me to start playing DDO!
jpo said on 11:43PM 10-17-2009
I won't play anything with the words "Star Wars" in it.
Anything.
Ever.
Anything "Star Wars" is the most over-hyped and over-rated stuff anywhere. And I hate it all.
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kasapina said on 2:57AM 10-18-2009
WoW.
I used to say I won't play it. I used to say that it is junk.
Then, a few years later, 2 - 3 friends started playing it, and they spoke about it almost any time we met. They were trying to drag me to play with them as well.
I resisted for some time, but a month later, I started. I quit at the 5th or 6th day. It was very boring for me, and I didn't like it at all.
More than a year later, I started playing it again, on another character, by myself. I played for about a month, and stopped. I got bored of it again.
Another year later, I played for about three months. After a short 4 month break, I played for 6 - 7 months, until late September this year. I am not playing it at the moment, but I guess it is time to confess - despite the annoying grind that wow is (kill 30 of that, 40 that, collect 10 of those.. + the endgame faction grind, daily quests etc), I am playing it more and more. I hope that the recently bought Guild Wars changes this :D
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physcho said on 6:17AM 10-18-2009
I will never ever play everquest!!
i still play warcraft and recently my friend got me hooked on DDO( the conversation went like this, hey did you know that mmo thats based on dnd 3.5 rules went free to play. the combat system is new, strategic and exciting.. and the monsters are original!) and i was sold..
so far i have liked DDO so much that i plunked down the money for a VIP membership - it was totaly worth it. sure f2p gets you everywhere you need to go, but VIP gives you so much more - the vip content is 10x more fun and worth the experience..
i like DDO because as mentioned the combat system is suprisingly deep. While you dont get 'attack moves' to spam, you get to worry more about positioning and enemy team make up - Are their casters? tumble through the melee, kill the cleric get back to your own lines before they box you in (if you get boxed in you can jump over there heads! character collision is important! )
haha bad write up i know but the jist if it is, get a friend and give ddo a chance
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Alz said on 7:59PM 10-18-2009
LOTRO for me. I don't think I've played a more boring MMO in my over 10 years of playing MMOs. All of the good things such as the story telling at the "mature" community were ridiculously exaggerated. Though I will admit that I started playing after a few months after MoM came out and I will agree with the players who tell me I would have enjoyed the game more before MoM came out based on what I've read and seen of the SoA content.
No I won't elaborate on it any more than that because much how Elliot said we've all written in detail how we dislike this certain game, I've done the same and do not plan to do so again.
However, I am not against trying any MMO I dislike again in the future after updates/expansions. I'm currently playing LOTRO in the free week just to catch up with my old guild mates who ironically are hardcore PvPers waiting for Mortal Online or the next niche PvP MMO to come out.
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