It’s been a few weeks now and I think it’s safe to say that the Champions Online experiment is all but completely over.
As predicted, A.J. has abandoned the game for Aion, taking P.D. with him. This was not an unexpected turn of events, but it did come sooner than I thought it would. Even my own patience with Champions has been pushed to the brink and when those free 30 days finally run out, my league of heroes will fall into limbo with it.
I really wanted to like Champions Online, and at some level I still do, but this game has problems that are simply unacceptable for a 2009 MMORPG. It’s not the buggy gameplay, the frequent downtime, or constant balance changes. Those were anticipated and accepted as the unavoidable consequence of any launch. But Champion’s goes beyond these issues with mistakes that you wouldn’t think possible of a team that has been in the MMO business longer than Blizzard.
The chief problem with the game is a simple one. It was not ready for launch when it launched.
Content in this game is slim. Unlike the golden standard that is WoW, Champions launched with barely enough content to reach the level 40 level-cap. There are exactly five ‘zones’ in the game and you need to spend time in every one of them to continue progressing. For a game where the core attraction is creating a multitude of different heroes, there is a disturbing lack of variety of places to go and things to do. Every character you make will inevitably follow the same path and fight the same evil-doers through the bulk of the game.
If this were not already a rather significant issue with the game, it was made worse on the first day after its release with a patch that significantly reduced the amount of experience given by quests.
To say this decision, credited to Bill Roper of Hellgate: London fame, was shortsighted would be an understatement. Now not only was there a lack of things to do, but in many cases the X number of quests created for a particular level did not give enough experience to bring the player up to the next level, resulting in an eventual ‘drought’ of quests all together. This left eager heroes at various points in their progression to the much sought after ‘level cap’ without anyway to achieve their goal other than rampaging around the world killing anything and everything that will give them experience.
Very heroic.
As I said, I expected bugs, I expected downtime, I expected imbalanced powers. I did not expect that when I purchased the game, I was buying into a ‘paid beta’ and that it would be another 3-4 months before the game would be actually ready to launch.
Oh well, at the very least I can say I was there when Cryptic tricked thousands of people to pay them $50 to play half of a game.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Disney's Secret Jutsu
Naruto Shippuden will air on Disney.
That’s six words I never thought I’d string together, but these are strange times indeed. Apparently Disney’s quest to reclaim the young male demographic didn’t stop with their acquisition of Marvel. They’re really going to bat to grab the attention of the little guys.
This news is interesting not just because of who will be airing Shippuden, but because of who won’t be. Specifically: Cartoon Network. Naruto has been the centerpiece of CN’s Toonami block for years and it was always assumed that they would take on Shippuden as well.
There was a time when Toonami was the anime enthusiast’s best friend. Three hours of afternoon programming and another two hours of UNCUT programming at night. They pioneered the way for anime on television on a scale that hasn’t been matched since. Even Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s adult oriented block which has actually branched off to become its own network, was essentially spawned from Toonami’s Midnight Run.
Toonami is no longer the anime powerhouse it used to be and hasn’t been for a long time, but Naruto has been something of a give-in for them for years now. In fact, I think it may be the only anime they still air. (They never should have taken off One Piece.)
So what will happen now that the story of the world’s most obnoxious ninja will be continuing on Disney XD?
Well, for fans of Naruto (at least those who aren’t already watching subbed episodes from Viz.com) it could be bad, or at least, neutral. The show will of course be edited for content, but whether Disney’s standards will stricter than Cartoon Network’s is unknown. One good thing to note is that unlike the case with Marvel, Disney doesn’t own the show, or even the distribution license. Viz will still be dubbing it so you won’t be hearing Robin Williams as Asuma anytime soon. Viz likely won’t be giving it the 4Kids treatment either by replacing the music with horribly manufactured rap or editing all the kunai into suction cup darts.
My prediction is that there will be less blood and a few more cuts in content. Probably not many more edits than what Cartoon Network would have required.
The more interesting question is what is Disney going to do next? They have Marvel. They have Naruto. What massive entertainment property is next on their sights?
That’s six words I never thought I’d string together, but these are strange times indeed. Apparently Disney’s quest to reclaim the young male demographic didn’t stop with their acquisition of Marvel. They’re really going to bat to grab the attention of the little guys.
This news is interesting not just because of who will be airing Shippuden, but because of who won’t be. Specifically: Cartoon Network. Naruto has been the centerpiece of CN’s Toonami block for years and it was always assumed that they would take on Shippuden as well.
There was a time when Toonami was the anime enthusiast’s best friend. Three hours of afternoon programming and another two hours of UNCUT programming at night. They pioneered the way for anime on television on a scale that hasn’t been matched since. Even Adult Swim, Cartoon Network’s adult oriented block which has actually branched off to become its own network, was essentially spawned from Toonami’s Midnight Run.
Toonami is no longer the anime powerhouse it used to be and hasn’t been for a long time, but Naruto has been something of a give-in for them for years now. In fact, I think it may be the only anime they still air. (They never should have taken off One Piece.)
So what will happen now that the story of the world’s most obnoxious ninja will be continuing on Disney XD?
Well, for fans of Naruto (at least those who aren’t already watching subbed episodes from Viz.com) it could be bad, or at least, neutral. The show will of course be edited for content, but whether Disney’s standards will stricter than Cartoon Network’s is unknown. One good thing to note is that unlike the case with Marvel, Disney doesn’t own the show, or even the distribution license. Viz will still be dubbing it so you won’t be hearing Robin Williams as Asuma anytime soon. Viz likely won’t be giving it the 4Kids treatment either by replacing the music with horribly manufactured rap or editing all the kunai into suction cup darts.
My prediction is that there will be less blood and a few more cuts in content. Probably not many more edits than what Cartoon Network would have required.
The more interesting question is what is Disney going to do next? They have Marvel. They have Naruto. What massive entertainment property is next on their sights?
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
MMO Friends Will Travel
I meant to update this weekend, I really did. However, when given the option between writing about Champions Online and playing Champions Online, the choice was made clear.
Champions Online launched last week and since then it has become the all-consuming entity of my existence. That my two most trusty compatriots have joined me in Millennium City for super-heroics has only solidified the placement of this game as the center point for my recreational time.
Honestly, I did not expect this to be the case. I bought the game with the mindset that I would make a hero and watch the controlled chaos that is the initial launch of any MMO, if only to say things like “I was there” and “I remember when...”. Champions Online was to be a vacation from the World of Warcraft. Not an MMO. Not a second life online that required daily maintenance and long term planning. Just a video game that happened to have a lot of other people playing it with you.
My above mentioned friends had already essentially broken away from the grip of Azaroth in much the same way when they rediscovered Phantasy Star Online, a game of considerable nostalgic value where I found myself frequently saying “I remember when” during the brief time I joined them.
I did not establish myself as a significant presence in their renewed love for PSO. Likewise, I really didn’t expect either of them to take my recommendation to join me on Champions Online. Though all three of us are tried and true geeks, super-heroes have always been an interest primarily exclusive to myself.
One of my friends, we will call him A.J., because those are his initials, was my companion through our days of City of Heroes, but super-heroes have never been his interest. With Champions Online much more dedicated to paying tribute to comic book mythology I expected he would instead lose himself in the also recently released Aion. It seems I underestimated the amount of time A.J. has to dedicate himself to games as he is currently playing both.
The final member of our trio, we will call him P.D., but those are not his initials, also surprised me when I discovered he had purchased the game. Though he once long ago nurtured an interest in super-heroes, P.D. never played any significant amount of City of Heroes, so his experience with Champions will be unique compared to A.J. and myself.
In fact, I expect this entire period of Champions Online to be an interesting opportunity to examine how the three of us react to the same product.
Immediately I saw the differences between A.J. and I, but the two of us have been playing MMOs for roughly a decade now so many of my observations were expected. A.J. derives his enjoyment out of games by breaking them. Give him a system of number based mechanics and he will work out exactly what he needs to get the absolute most out of it. In contrast, I am much more concerned with thematic elements than I am min/maxing my stats. Where A.J. chooses what he wants to do and then chooses the best playstyle to do it, I choose my playstyle first and then worry about how it performs. In a game like Champions Online, which offers an unprecedented amount of freedom in how you play, this has put us both slightly out of our element. The time each of us dedicate to either creating an iconic character and examining our stats is balancing out. We no longer sit on opposite sides of the spectrum because the spectrum itself has become smaller.
How the next few weeks play out look to be interesting indeed. Will we join forces to become the greatest team of super heroes ever formed, or will we go our separate ways until the next opportunity for our paths to cross comes along?
Champions Online launched last week and since then it has become the all-consuming entity of my existence. That my two most trusty compatriots have joined me in Millennium City for super-heroics has only solidified the placement of this game as the center point for my recreational time.
Honestly, I did not expect this to be the case. I bought the game with the mindset that I would make a hero and watch the controlled chaos that is the initial launch of any MMO, if only to say things like “I was there” and “I remember when...”. Champions Online was to be a vacation from the World of Warcraft. Not an MMO. Not a second life online that required daily maintenance and long term planning. Just a video game that happened to have a lot of other people playing it with you.
My above mentioned friends had already essentially broken away from the grip of Azaroth in much the same way when they rediscovered Phantasy Star Online, a game of considerable nostalgic value where I found myself frequently saying “I remember when” during the brief time I joined them.
I did not establish myself as a significant presence in their renewed love for PSO. Likewise, I really didn’t expect either of them to take my recommendation to join me on Champions Online. Though all three of us are tried and true geeks, super-heroes have always been an interest primarily exclusive to myself.
One of my friends, we will call him A.J., because those are his initials, was my companion through our days of City of Heroes, but super-heroes have never been his interest. With Champions Online much more dedicated to paying tribute to comic book mythology I expected he would instead lose himself in the also recently released Aion. It seems I underestimated the amount of time A.J. has to dedicate himself to games as he is currently playing both.
The final member of our trio, we will call him P.D., but those are not his initials, also surprised me when I discovered he had purchased the game. Though he once long ago nurtured an interest in super-heroes, P.D. never played any significant amount of City of Heroes, so his experience with Champions will be unique compared to A.J. and myself.
In fact, I expect this entire period of Champions Online to be an interesting opportunity to examine how the three of us react to the same product.
Immediately I saw the differences between A.J. and I, but the two of us have been playing MMOs for roughly a decade now so many of my observations were expected. A.J. derives his enjoyment out of games by breaking them. Give him a system of number based mechanics and he will work out exactly what he needs to get the absolute most out of it. In contrast, I am much more concerned with thematic elements than I am min/maxing my stats. Where A.J. chooses what he wants to do and then chooses the best playstyle to do it, I choose my playstyle first and then worry about how it performs. In a game like Champions Online, which offers an unprecedented amount of freedom in how you play, this has put us both slightly out of our element. The time each of us dedicate to either creating an iconic character and examining our stats is balancing out. We no longer sit on opposite sides of the spectrum because the spectrum itself has become smaller.
How the next few weeks play out look to be interesting indeed. Will we join forces to become the greatest team of super heroes ever formed, or will we go our separate ways until the next opportunity for our paths to cross comes along?
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Will Donald Duck Meet Howard the Duck?
The House of Ideas was purchased by the House of Mouse yesterday.
I’m not sure how to feel about that.
My free spirit laments the idea that Marvel has lost its independence to a giant media conglomerate. With both Marvel and D.C. owned by mega-corporations, the entire landscape of the comic book market has changed.
On the other hand, Marvel’s been run by a bunch of greedy bastards for years now anyway. So what’s one more money grubbing hand in the pot?
The first vision of terror that comes to mind is of the Mickey Mouse logo in the top left corner of my comic books. That universal signal that says “Kid Friendly Fun Inside”. I see gritty New York underworld setting of Daredevil replaced with something resembling Ducksburg (or, more accurately, St. Canard). A setting where Stilt-Man would actually not look out of place.
This is an irrational fear, of course. Marvel isn’t owned by Disney. It’s owned by Disney Company. And while Disney is a soulless corporate entity dedicated to manufacturing the fondest memories of our childhood, Disney Co. is the soulless corporate entity dedicated to the much more non-descript goal of total world domination.
Disney might make overly pandering kids films, but Disney Company owns Miramax, and they put out Kevin Smith films. Yes, Disney has owned Jay and Silent Bob since 1993. Disney hasn’t been completely awful in recent times either. The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is among the best films of modern times.
For all the hubbub, odds are good that this buyout won’t result in much of anything noticeable to the average reader. Disney has made it pretty clear that they want Marvel to keep doing what they’re doing. Whether THAT is a good thing or not is debatable but that’s for another time.
I’m not sure how to feel about that.
My free spirit laments the idea that Marvel has lost its independence to a giant media conglomerate. With both Marvel and D.C. owned by mega-corporations, the entire landscape of the comic book market has changed.
On the other hand, Marvel’s been run by a bunch of greedy bastards for years now anyway. So what’s one more money grubbing hand in the pot?
The first vision of terror that comes to mind is of the Mickey Mouse logo in the top left corner of my comic books. That universal signal that says “Kid Friendly Fun Inside”. I see gritty New York underworld setting of Daredevil replaced with something resembling Ducksburg (or, more accurately, St. Canard). A setting where Stilt-Man would actually not look out of place.
This is an irrational fear, of course. Marvel isn’t owned by Disney. It’s owned by Disney Company. And while Disney is a soulless corporate entity dedicated to manufacturing the fondest memories of our childhood, Disney Co. is the soulless corporate entity dedicated to the much more non-descript goal of total world domination.
Disney might make overly pandering kids films, but Disney Company owns Miramax, and they put out Kevin Smith films. Yes, Disney has owned Jay and Silent Bob since 1993. Disney hasn’t been completely awful in recent times either. The Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy is among the best films of modern times.
For all the hubbub, odds are good that this buyout won’t result in much of anything noticeable to the average reader. Disney has made it pretty clear that they want Marvel to keep doing what they’re doing. Whether THAT is a good thing or not is debatable but that’s for another time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)