Nostalgia...

Now, I know it hasn't been THAT long, but it's been long enough. Something, I felt, was always missing from TES 4: Oblivion. Bethesda would tell you they improved everything, but in reality they also dropped some of the best features of TES 3: Morrowind. Everything in Morrowind seems so much more in-depth. Where you would do one quest to, oh, say clear out a farm with the aging farmer's sons in Oblivion, do the same quest (Which I believe doesn't actually exist.) in Morrowind and you'd be going back and forth between the farmer, and the Goblins, being persuaded by both sides, and possibly taking the farm for your own ends if you help the Goblins (Goblins in Morrowind are called Rieklings, I think...). On top of that there are so many more guilds and quests. You have the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild and Thieves guild, in Morrowind, just as in Oblivion. But in Morrowind you also have the Imperial Legion, the Imperial Cult, Ashlander Daedric Cults, and maybe even some more. I know for a fact that the Dark Brotherhood make an appearance as well, but you cannot join them.

Now, on a note more relevant to what I'm actually doing...I decided to buy the UK version of Morrowind (The only version available on eBay.) and load it up, and I must say, the graphics are pretty atrocious, but after a while you stop caring about the graphics, and stop downloading graphics mods like one would do with Oblivion. You care more about the larger main quest, and the enormous amount of side quests. You care more about actually playing the game than just looking at it. I definitely recommend my readers (If they exist) to go buy a copy of Morrowind for $8 and see the difference.

I simply wonder what Bethesda was thinking.

The Finally iPhone

I'm sure everyone has heard the announcements that the new 3G iPhone is coming out. This new model will fix everything that was wrong with the original iPhone. The original iPhone was all gimmick, no substance, kind of like the Wii. Yes I just bashed your poor Wii, and no, I will not call you a whaambulance. It had(s) no MMS (A rumored feature for iPhone 2.0), last-gen internet speeds, no GPS, no 3rd party apps, poor speaker capabilities, and a retarded headphone-jack. Everyone still wanted the iPhone for it's built-in iPod, and the touch-screen wow-factor. The original iPhone just seemed like some sort of cutting-edge beta test, yet Apple marketed it as the end-all phone. Now, they are marketing iPhone 2.0 as the end-all without mentioning their mistakes with the original iPhone. Yet still, where is the upgradeable memory, the removable battery?

Some people such as myself held out on buying an iPhone, (Personally I couldn't afford the monthly bills, on top of the hefty initial tag.) and instead went with iPod touch, which still had the wow-factor, and played my music. Now, with the enormous price drop AND increased features, I believe I'll be buying into the hype, but this time around I think the hype is backed up by some substance, unlike before.

Retracted Comments

Ok, I take back what I said about Maplestory. It's grown on me, and although the gameplay is bland and repetitive there is a major update coming up introducing pirate ships and guns, along with 2 new classes.

I must also correct myself on my last post. In Maplestory your weapon and armor stats are based off of monster-drops and other items purchased with in-game money (Mesos.), while your looks are enhanced by the Cash Shop items. As for GunZ and Soldier Front, the story is still as before. One can just purchase Uber-Powerful weapons and armor and instantly succeed.

Sorry guys, should've done better research.

O Free MMO, Where Art Thou?

Free MMOs are amazing. They generally have enormous communities and a large player base. Development CAN be lacking, but from what I've seen, free games generally stay up-to-date due to dedicated developers. Strangely, the free MMO seems to be a phenomenon with Asian companies, such as Ijji and Nexon. These hidden, free gems are always exciting, knowing that I can quit any time and say 'Hey, not like I put any real cash effort into this'. Sadly, these games are disappearing. EVERY free MMO that I know of has gone Micro-Transaction. All of them. Again, these micro-transactions seem to be a phenomenon with Asian games. All the Ijji and Nexon games (Maplestory, Gunz...) are prime examples of this. Now this is a great business model for companies, but often the only way to get good at these free to play games is to purchase special weapons or armor, and in the long run, paying for your constantly expiring purchased items can end up costing more than a usual monthly fee. This may turn away many players immediately, and for those that stay around there seems to be a lack of a feeling of accomplishment. Those enormous animated angel wings, 1-Hit Kill Sword, and ridiculous godly aura aren't because of your divine Maplestory skills. They're because you bought a $20 prepaid card at Target the other day. Of course, 50 Million people worldwide subscribe to Maplestory (As of 2006). I am still trying out Maplestory, but by the way things are going now, I'm thinking I will not be one of those 50 Million. Recently, on a particular server, a bag of 1,000,000 Mesos (In-Game Currency) was sold for dirt cheap in the 'Cash Shop', which has caused an economic meltdown. In short, these microtransactions ruin the game.

As for some of the other games, we'll take GunZ for example. GunZ is an MMOFPS, with lots of diving and jumping, somewhat akin to The Matrix. Now with an FPS your success is mostly tied to your actual skill in that game, not your character's stats. This game is also ruined by microtransaction purchases, because those willing to pay are able to gain access to significantly enhanced items. I could understand paying a little extra to look real cool, but the competition in an MMO should be based on skill and effort, not the amount of money you spent in the Cash Shop. Monthly-Payment type MMOs, everyone (Generally) has a fair chance starting out in the game.

I'd rather pay to play than pay to win.

(Tl;dr I won't be playing those former "Free MMOs" any more.)