GIVE ME MY DIGITAL CRACK!

Now as much as I love playing EQ2, I am not so naive as to think that when some of the new MMORPG's come out that I wont be tempted to give them a test drive. And it could very well happen to be that I play it for a little bit and then see that I still love playing EQ2.


But today I thought we might visit some of the up and coming digital addicitons coming down the pike. Here are four titles worth watching.

4. Vanguard :Very compelling, I like the ideas that they have laid out and specifically, the idea that ships can be player owned (What can I say Im a pirate at heart) They seem to want to bring back the old corpse retrievals and I wouldnt be oppossed to that concept either. The whole world ala SWG seems to be the theme of the day and I think it can be pulled off, I just wonder how much dead space there will be between "areas". It definitly looks to be aimed at the hardcore player and that may be my biggest turn off. All in all it looks like it will be worth looking at seriously when the time comes for its release.


3. Dungeons And Dragons Online : Again it has a certain appeal to me, if only for nostalgia. I am not crazy about the graphic shots I have seen and Im not too crazy about only being able to go to level 10. But I will watch and wait and see where it goes. As the grandfather for High Fantasy it definitly has the petigree to expand a well know universe and game play mechanic.


2. Lord of the Rings Online : A curiosity really. I dont have enough information to make a judement on this one as of right now, they are keeping alot of details close to the hip. I dont know of any cool innovation or other gameplay marvel for this game, seems more like a virtual tour of Middle Earth than a long playing MMORPG.


1. Age Of Conan : Ok youve got my attention. Bar room brawls, a combination of Dark Ages of Camelot seige system. Everyone starts out as a commoner, till lvl 5 and you basically solo to level 20 making a name for yourself in the Online World. Im a big fan of the novels and funcom could be the one to pull this off. Definitly on the must try list. Also rumored (cant confirm) that levels one through 20 will be free, i.e. you dont pay a monthly subscription fee, once you hit 20 and go out into the big online world you start paying your fee.


Well thats a short list, and all of them bear looking at when the time comes, the bottom line will always be about online friends. I get my biggest enjoyment out of playing with my buddies and experiencing the "Adventure" with them. So until then keep your swords sharp and your mind sharper.


Safe Hunting