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Ed. Note: Unfortunately, Mass Effect 2 doesn’t have the functionality to take screenshots in-game, so I don’t have any exciting images for this post. 
I think it’s fairly obvious that I’m a RPG and MMO fangirl, and this being said, it could also be assumed that I’m not a big fan of shooters. I just don’t have those vaunted “twitch” reflexes required to shoot things before I die a horrible, bloody death. I also have no teabagging skills, so I’m automatically a failure when it comes to this type of game. It’s not that I haven’t tried, either! I’ve tried to play Halo, but just couldn’t do it. Way back in the day, I even tried my hands at some Tribes, but alas… The only shooting game I’ve ever been decent at was Goldeneye back on the N64. Ahhh… Goldeneye. I will always remember the paintball gun fondly.
Now that we have my ineptitude at shooters established, we can talk about Mass Effect. Mass Effect, when it came out back in 2007 for XBox 360 (May 2008 for PC), took a while to take off. It was billed as a space opera RPG/Shooter. Say what? Yep, a RPG/Shooter. Your character would progress to your desires, much like any respectable RPG, with you tweaking stats, customizing your appearance, collecting phat lewts, inventory management, experience and leveling up; all of the basic fun things that come with your normal RPG. Except for the fact that you shoot things. No swords or lightsabers, but guns, and lots of them. You are able to use a pseudo-magical ability called Biotics, but for the most part, it was you, shooting things with your gun of choice. Needless to say, I was not interested in the game at all, regardless of how much RPG was in it.
Let’s go back in time now to November/December of last year, good old 2009. (It already seems so far away… bizarre.) At that point in time, I’ve already finished Dragon Age: Origins, and have been introduced to the goodness that is Bioware. At this point in time as well, I’m in a major gaming rut. I had become burnt out on the MMOs I had subscriptions for, didn’t have anything on the PC I wanted to play offline, and was faced with the gamer’s dilemma: What in the hell am I going to play now? My husband swooped in and saved the day yet again. “Why don’t you try Mass Effect?” He says, knowing full well my dislike of shooters. Well, I was that desperate, so yeah, I gave it a shot.
Holy. %$#^.
I was missing out. I should have picked up that game a looooong time ago. I loved Mass Effect, since I didn’t have to be too twitchy to play it. I could do everything I was used to in a RPG, enjoy an epic storyline, and actually have fun shooting things. What I loved most about it though was what has made Bioware the “Square Enix of the West” (well, that’s what I like to call them now), which is the characterization and story. You make choices in the game that affect the sequels. You really feel like the main character, Commander Shepard, is YOUR character. You make choices to shape him/her into what you want them to become. Do you want Shepard to be a female badass, not taking crap from anyone and not afraid to whip out the big guns to solve a bar fight? Or do you want your Shepard to be a war-hero paragon, saving lives and doing the right thing no matter what the cost? Lots of games attempt what Bioware does with their games when it comes to really owning your character and being a part of the game world that they create, but almost all of them fail miserably. This is what Bioware does, and damn if they don’t do it well.
So, I’ve talked a lot about Mass Effect, and this is really supposed to be a review of its sequel, Mass Effect 2. It’s good to have context? So, here are the pros and cons about the game from my point of view, after completing one playthrough on the PC version using a save game imported from the first Mass Effect using my female Shepard Paragon Soldier game.
Pros:
- Gameplay- The gameplay has been greatly improved from the first game. A lot of mention has been made around the internet that Bioware simplified the game too much and took out too many of the RPG elements. I can agree partly with the RPG portion, but as for the the rest of the changes that were made, I think they’re great. Inventory management in the first game was a nightmare, and Bioware removed that issue in the sequel, which was welcome. Speaking as a non-shooter fan, actually playing the game, being in battles was really fun. I didn’t have to have twitchy skills to play, and was able to have a good time shooting things up and utilizing the powers of my teammates to get the job done. I even switched to doing a lot of sniping towards the end of the game because it was so satisfying to look through the scope and get headshot after headshot.
- Story- This is probably the thing I love the most about Mass Effect. I’m a big reader, and love fantasy and sci-fi novels. My favorite novels are the ones that use heavy worldbuilding, where as you read, you really get a sense of the history of the world, and how the civilizations written about came to be. Mass Effect’s writers use this same principle in their writing for the game. Each culture has its own distinct “feel”, and you really get a sense of the history and life of the universe as you visit each main city/hub and look at the architecture and listen to the conversations in the background. The main story isn’t anything new, per se, good vs. evil, saving the universe, etc. It’s the way everything is put together that makes the story elements of Mass Effect fantastic. If you add in the fact that your Shepard is what you make of him/her, and their interactions with the universe, it really brings you into the world.
- Graphics- Playing on the PC, with a relatively excellent system really makes Mass Effect 2 shine. Everything has been updated from the original game, and it looks great. I very rarely ran into any kind of graphical problems like screen tearing, artifacts, etc. There is a real sense of scale and size no matter where you go, and everything looks beautiful. (Except for the male Shepard I created for the fun of it as another character. Ugly does not even begin to describe him. I’ll probably delete that one…)
- Sound- The music for Mass Effect 2 does not disappoint. I love firing up the game and just listening to the music that plays on the splash screen. The rest of the game has great music as well, and is epic, morose, thoughtful, and creepy in all of the right places. The sound effects are great as well, and if you have surround sound they’re even better. Along with this, the voice acting is superb as usual. There are a lot of big names in the game like Martin Sheen as the Illusive Man, Tricia Helfer as EDI (the Normandy’s AI), Michael Dorn, Armin Shimmerman, and many more. Seth Green as Joker steals the show though. I don’t know who wrote his lines, but almost every time I talked with Joker, I came away laughing my ass off. Jennifer Hale as female Shepard does a fantastic job once again. I really enjoy her voice work in both of these games, and find it hard to listen to her male counterpart now because she is SO GOOD.
Cons:
- Length of Game- This first playthrough ended up at about 30 hours even. It felt really short, and I didn’t rush through the game (at least I don’t think I did…). When I got past the ending, I really wanted more. I know there will be DLC in the coming months/years, but I really, really wanted more time in the game itself. Now, I’m used to playing Final Fantasy, where I can easily put in over 100 hours in one game doing everything I possibly can, so I’m a little biased when it comes to the length of my single-player games. Still though, I really felt like the game could have been longer. More, Bioware! Give me more!
- No Exploration- In Mass Effect 1, you got a little vehicle called the Mako that you could use to land on planets and explore them. Driving the Mako was a pain in the ass, but it was really fun to explore each planet. I was really sad that Bioware took this feature out of Mass Effect 2, and I know I’m not the only one. I’m going to cross my fingers that it will return in the next game.
- Flirty Dialogue- I found that at times, the dialogue that I could have with the male teammates in the game was too flirty. That’s not really how I, or my Shepard rolls. It would really be great to have a selection of different dialogue options that reflected exactly who you want your Shepard to be. Sometimes the choices felt too narrow.
So, basically, Mass Effect 2 was one of the best games that I’ve played in a loooong time. I’m taking a bit of a break from it now, as I want to play through it again, but don’t want to get burnt out so soon. I highly recommend this game to anyone, since there’s a lot there that can appeal to all different sorts of gamers. If you’ve never tried a shooter before, this is a great game to try. If you’ve never played a RPG before, the same applies. Go out and get it! You won’t regret it, I promise.
Welcome to 2010! A new year brings new games, new innovations, and new experiences in the world of gaming. I’m really excited for the year to come, as there are quite a few games being released this year that I have waited a very long time for. Some of them for years, no joke! Here’s my list of what I’m going to be playing this year, and I would love to hear from others about what they are looking forward to in the months to come, so feel free to let me know and discuss in the comments!
I’ve never done a “Top 10 List”, either here or at Adventaruing, and I don’t really see myself starting anytime soon, so the seven games I’m (SO FAR) looking forward to are below the fold. Follow me into the future, my friends…
Continue reading New Year, New Games
That’s right, Squenix is now accepting applications for the Windows beta for XIV! Head over to this link: http://entry.ffxiv.com/na/index.html and sign up today! You must have a valid Square Enix Account and/or Security Token in order to apply, and your application is good for all phases of the beta.
Remember, all beta participants will be required to consent to an NDA in order to participate, so if you get in, no sharing information!!!
I’ve spent the last six or so months listening to my husband talk about how much he’s been looking forward to Dragon Age: Origins. My interest in the game wasn’t really all that much to talk about, as I’ve never played a Bioware game, and really didn’t think it would be all that amazing based off of what I had seen in the gaming press. Fairly sure that it would be “just another RPG”, I dismissed it with all the scorn I could muster (which can be a lot, I promise.) It wasn’t until he got the game and kept gushing over it, saying things like this from across our computer desks:
- “You’re missing out on one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played!”
- “How can you pass up an RPG with such a great story? Aren’t you supposed to be an RPG nerd?”
- “Wow, that was awesome! I can’t believe that just happened!”
So, since I’ve been in a gaming rut lately, I decided to check out the reviews and see what all of the hoopla was about. I skulked to my favorite gaming sites to see that for the most part, everyone was in love with DA:O, and it was a must-play game for anyone who loves a good RPG. I certainly love my RPGs, so catch my thoughts below the fold after playing for about 40 hours so far, and completing only 40% of the game.
Continue reading Dragon Age: Origins – The Choices are Killing Me
What is this blog going to be about, you ask? Well, the story of this blog goes back to three years ago, when I created Adventaruing in Vana’diel as an adventuring journal for my character in FFXI, Serielley. As time went by, FFXI wasn’t the only MMO or game that I played, (not in the slightest!), and I started to feel constrained by my choice of blog. I finally broke down and bought this domain and created what you see here now.
Serielley’s Adventures in Gaming will have content similar to Adventaruing in Vana’diel, but from whatever games I may be playing currently. I may also write about casual gaming, gaming as a female, gaming as a couple, issues in the gaming industry, or other topics as they come to me.
Mostly though, I want to share my love and enjoyment of gaming with others, and this is the best way I know how. I appreciate every reader who stops by and contributes to the conversation, and I hope to meet many new faces as this blog grows and develops in the future.
Thanks for stopping by!
(For people coming by from Adventaruing, I’ve moved all of the posts over, so that everything is in one place, and easy to find if you so desire. Up in the menu, there is a button titled: Adventaruing Archive. That will show you all of the posts from Adventaruing, archived for your convenience.)
UPDATE #2: New higher res images of the areas have been posted at BG and I’ve added the images to the gallery below. Credit goes to Luciferu.
UPDATED: Elmer posted more details in his article over at ZAM, including the following new images:
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Image courtesy of ZAM.com
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Image courtesy of ZAM.com
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From Elmer’s update:
“Guild Leave” will be the main system of quests in the land of Eorzea. The article states you can use a variety of “leaves” to customize your own quests. This use of items to construct the requirements of your task sounds familiar to the Moblin Maze Mongers system in Final Fantasy XI. Each card, or “leave” depicts a patron saint of Eorzea doing a task representative of the goal that card will impose on your character.
The left-most card has a picture of a holy knight named Saint “Danofen” slaying a dragon. It is labelled 勇胆 (yuu-tan) for “Stalwart Bravery” and is used to create a quest wherein you must defeat a fearsome monster.
The middle card depicts a Saint “Toturu” hunting rats. This is labeled 勤勉 (kin-ben) for “Diligence” and assigns a goal of exterminating bothersome creatures to receive the gratitude of others.
The right-most card shows Saint “Moorugin” forging a sword. The object here is to craft bows from branches for the benefit of fellow adventurers.
1UP has posted a long article detailing some of the information that will be included in this Friday’s Famitsu feature on the game, which is reported to be about 9 pages long.
How Final Fantasy XIV Works – 1UP
Eorzea’s nations used to be constantly at war with each other, but the advent of airborne battleships and other shockingly powerful weapons has created a state of détente throughout the land. The resulting peace has led to a wide swath of soldiers and mercenaries suddenly without a job, and so they’re now forming guilds and calling themselves under a new name: adventurers.
That’s the very basic plot behind Final Fantasy XIV, the PS3/PC online RPG that Square Enix revealed at this year’s E3. Now Square Enix is ready to reveal more of the goods, and in this week’s issue of Famitsu magazine, game director Nobuaki Komoto offered some of the first really concrete details behind the MMORPG’s gameplay. Here are the details:
- Eorzea, the continent where players begin their game, is a small continent with several surrounding islands. Time passes, and weather changes, on a regular basis in this world, with one in-game day currently set to be about an hour of realtime. This exact figure may change, but as Komoto puts it, “it won’t be like Eorzea will be night for hours because it’s nighttime in reality… I want FFXIV to be enjoyed even by those who can play only a short time out of the day, so I’d like the sort of time schedule such that it’s always a different experience timewise when you login to Eorzea.”
- Eorzea is home to five races which, although they have different names, look quite a bit like the races in Final Fantasy XI. You have the Hyuran (Hume in FFXI), Miqo’te (Mithra), Lalafell (Tarutaru), Elezen (Elvaan) and Roegadyn (Galka), and as you’d expect, you can fully customize the look your character no matter what race he or she’s a member of. Hyuran are further divided into “midlanders” and “highlanders,” and Miqo’te are divided into the diurnal Sunseekers and the nocturnal Moonkeepers, though how this affects gameplay is still under wraps.
- FFXIV’s “armory system” is what defines your character’s growth. The game has four broadly defined “job skills” — Fighter, Sorcerer, Gatherer and Crafter — each of which has a variety of more specific classes (Swordsman, Blacksmith, Caster, etc) attached to it. You can change your class instantly simply by changing your weapon and armor, and as you fight and complete quests with that equipment, your character will advance in that class. You’re free to concentrate entirely on one class, or try to balance yourself out among all the job skills.
This armory system isn’t exactly like the “job” concept that most Final Fantasy games work under. “The way I see it, the player can define how his own job works,” says Komoto. “For example, if you have the Swordsman skill, that’s enough to let you play by yourself, but if you’ve also raised your Sorcerer skill enough to unlock that skill’s healing magic, that’ll make solo play a lot easier for you. You can carry enough equipment around at any given time to change your style freely, and the system makes this easy by letting you change sets of equipment all at once.”
- This skill and class system largely replaces the traditional RPG concepts of levels and experience points in FFXIV. Instead of worrying about EXP, “I think the main thrust will be raising the skills you have at hand,” as Komoto puts it. You’ll probably still have to engage in good old-fashioned MMORPG grinding to improve your character, though.
- FFXIV’s quest system involves visiting Eorzea’s guild and receiving work passes from the guildmaster. Other players can cooperate with you, and everyone can put their passes together to involve the entire gang in a sort of mini-campaign. The available passes change at regular intervals, and completing a single quest from one of these passes will be a relatively short process — Komoto estimates it at around half an hour or so. “You don’t need a set number of people for each quest,” he said. “That you can work out by yourself with the other players in the guild, since they’re all there for the same goal.”
UPDATE #3: More tasty goodness keeps coming, but at this time, the following info is UNCONFIRMED. I’m posting it just for the sake of completeness though. Credit goes to croythegreat @ ZAM who saw it on the Neogaf forums and comes from this post:
Races:
Hyuran: 2 clans – midlanders and highlanders
Elezen: the original race of Eorzea, oppose the Hyurans, enhanced hearing
Roegadyn: more human looking than Galkans, their base is in the north and there are a lot of fishermen
Lalafell: based in the south, agricultural, high intelligence, not many females
Miqo’te: 2 clans – the Sun Seekers who live regular daytime lives and the Moon Keepers who are nocturnal, not a lot of males, not clear if they will speak like cats
More races to come later
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Stages:
Desert City – Uldaha
Forest City – Gridania
Ocean City – Rimsa Rominsa
(the spelling could be way off, just going from the 2ch stuff Munba posted)
Armory System:
- you can change jobs and lifestyles freely
- by changing your weapon, you are essneitally changing jobs, and can do so anywhere
- so if you are invited to a PT and there are a lot of fighters, you can switch to a caster, then when your adventures are over, go fishing or synth some stuff
- weapons and def gear all have their own merit. if you want to hone a particular skill, you can coordinate your equipment in that direction
- rather than character levels and skills, the main thing is the skill of the item you are holding
- you can play on your own and switch between fighter and caster to heal yourself, so soloing is easy
- changing is as simple as changing your weapon, so there’s no stress
- typical jobs of the FF series, e.g. warrior and black mage, are being avoided
- you can basically enjoy this world in any way you want. (me: freedom seems to be the main point here)
Guild Leave:
- these are passes of trust you obtain from guilds
- a Leave is not a quest. it’s a card.
- you can mix your Leaves with other players’ Leaves
- at the Adventurers’ Guild, you can get Guild Leaves
- there are Leaves that you can’t get when your skill is low
- typically a Leave will take 30 mins to complete, there are some shorter too
- you can set the number of people needed to clear the Leave by yourself (seems to be like a difficulty level)
- if one person is carrying a Leave, other players may join whether they have the same Leave or not
- the contents of the Leave change after a week passes
- you can carry multiple Leaves (they are card form, like invitations)
- Guild Leaves are designed like Tarot cards and are really beautiful
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Ethelite (sp?)
- installations that can warp you to your adventuring spot instantly
Interview
- in Eorzea, the cities are not all on one connecting landmass, like they were in FFXI
- the difference between races is not as big as FFXI
- but their is a difference between male and females, which they are keeping secret
- character creation: face, hair colour, eye colour, skin, etc. etc.
- battles are realtime, but not action based
- targeting an enemy and fighting (like FFXI) is not the main system, there will be a lot that you have to think about besides the target itself.
- because of the armory system, they are going to make it possible to carry lots of stuff
- there will also be stuff included that makes it easy to change gear
- they’re considering whether to let you master everything or not – there may be a see-saw like approach (like FFXI)
- the base of the character growth is the weapon. use a weapon and raise your skills.
- they are considering the option to let you arrange your windows how you want
- weapons will degrade with use
- Guild Leaves include monster hunting, expulsion, skilling up, etc etc
- when you go on a Leave run, you can use Ethelite to take you where you need to go instantly
- there are pirates in Rimsa
- Miqo’te are more catlike
- some trumpeting about how it’s going to be an awesome game
- right from the start, it’ll be exciting and you’ll be thinking “orly!?”
- weather changes, day/night too
- 1 game day = 1 earth hour
- people who can only play an hour a day will still be able to enjoy the game
- the monetary system is Gil
- the people living in the cities all have their own backstory
- you’ll start the game from your home city (I guess it’s based on race, but doesn’t say implicitly).
UPDATE #2: Taking a break from lunch, which is greatly appreciated m(_ _)m, Elmer the Pointy was able to translate most of the text on the images, and says that the full article will be available Friday when the magazine goes on sale. For now, here’s what we’ve got.
UPDATE: the Miqo’te and the Elzan/Elzen (not 100% positive that is the correct name) races added to images, credit goes to Avvesione @ BG
Courtesy of BlueGartr forums, here is some preliminary race and job information from Famitsu:
We’re still waiting on translations at this point, and as soon as Elmer the Pointy, Corinth, or someone else is able to put them up, I’ll update this post with them, for now, though, here’s what little that people have been able to glean from the scans.
- official names for Elvaan and Mithra have not been released yet, or were not part of the scans we’ve seen
- character customization translation from takethistoyourgrave on BG forum: “When you make your character, aside from choosing the race, you will also be able to customize their appearance. Head, skin color, hair type etc, there will be multiple factors. Just how exact we will be able to customize their appearance is still unknown, but we mean it in a good way when we say that it seems like it will become a worry to many players.”
- Job information: 4 base classes (Fighter, Sorcerer, Gatherer, Crafter) jobs will be based off of those 4 base classes and preliminary translations are showing a fighter/archer, curser/illusionist, gardener/fisherman, smith/cook
- job/class changes will occur when you change weapons/tools
More to come as the translations come in, so keep checking back!
http://eu.square-enix.com/gamescom/?id=DFF&lang=en
Squenix will be showing FFXIV LIVE at Gamescon, which is about two weeks away! Noone thought that we would get any new information until late September at Tokyo Game Show, so this announcement is coming out of nowhere. Start your countdown clocks!
Yes, I changed the look of the place. I thought I’d be festive and switch things up now that FFXIV has been announced. Come ride the train of craziness with me! I’d also like to welcome anyone coming to visit from my Twitter profile. I don’t really update it all that often, but it’s there, so I may use it a bit more in the future. I’m sorry, you won’t be hearing about my breakfast or what I’m doing RIGHT THIS SECOND. Also, yes, this is a gaming blog. If you didn’t know I was a geek before, well, you do now. (^^)
Anyways, I thought I’d take some time today and gather up all of the information I could possibly find for FFXIV, even if it’s only been three days or so since it was announced, so I’d have it in one place, and can update it in the coming months. I’ve done my best to double check each piece of information, but if I have something here that is not good info, please let me know. Likewise, if I’m missing something, feel free to let me know in the comments. I’m going to be making this a static part of the blog, so hopefully more information will be added in the very near future!
Hardware/Software/General Information
- Initial simultaneous world-wide release for PS3 and PC ( for the version of Windows that is most current at release)
- Initial languages: Japanese, English, German, and French
- Will use latest version of Direct X (probably 10, so this means Vista and up) for PC release
- FFXIV will be at the forefront of available technology, and Squenix is looking into a benchmark program
- Squenix is “considering all options at this time” in regards to releasing on other platforms
- Will NOT use PlayOnline service
- Will utilize new Square Enix Accounts and Security Tokens
- Has been in development for 4-5 years
- Cross-region/world-wide servers
- Cross-region/world-wide beta test is in planning stages, will be longer than FFXI’s beta period
- Due to the game’s size, will more than likely be released on disc, but Squenix is looking into download options too
- Planning on having multiple servers, with 5000-6000 players on each
- NO CHARACTER TRANSFERS FROM FFXI TO FFXIV, PoL Friend lists, linkshells, and even names may be transferable though, but nothing firm at this time
- Nobuo Uematsu will be returning to Squenix to compose the ENTIRE score of the game
World Information
- Eorzea is NOT the name of the planet/world FFXIV takes place on, but is the name of a region
- The name of the planet/world is really Haiderin (ハイデリン)
- The game will NOT have the four races from Vana’diel, but counterparts unique to the world of Haiderin with their own new names. They will be similar to our beloved Mithra, Tarutaru, Galka, Elvaan, and Hume though
- High technology (think funky airships from the trailer) will have its place in FFXIV, but the game will still be fantasy in nature. The technology level will be below the level found in either FFX or FFXIII
- Chocobos and crystals will be present, but the developers are not sure how to use chocobos in a new and interesting way as of this point in time
- Story will be epic in scale, like other FF games, but will not connect to Vana’diel in any way
Gameplay/Mechanics/Job Information
- Developers want a distinctly different Job System from FFXI, one that focuses on character “growth”, and will hold a players interest whether they are casual or more hardcore, growth will somehow be tied to ones “natural everyday activities”
- The developers strongly hinted that there would be NO EXPERIENCE POINT gains in order to progress, but that “growth” will be tied to weapons
- FFXIV will focus on many different ways to “grow” your character, and the developers want to make sure that no matter how you choose to play the game, that your character will always progress
- FFXIV is being designed for both casual players, and more hardcore players. Something for everyone!
- The battle system will be more strategic, and there will be a learning curve at the beginning. More experienced players may be able to jump right in
- Solo play will be getting more attention, but party play is still a very important part of the game. Hiromichi Tanaka, the Executive Producer for both FFXI and FFXIV has said that he prefers parties to be balanced instead of a bunch of melee with no support. Sounds like DD merit parties may be a thing of the past…
- The battle system has not been perfected, and will not be until beta testing is done, but the devs say that there will be many vs. one, many vs. many, etc.
- The devs are considering PvP, but note that it will probably take a form similar to FFXI’s Ballista
- Weapons have been emphasized as being extremely important to the game and your character’s growth
- Devs are looking at quests to not only further the epic storyline, but also as methods of character growth, a departure from FFXI’s quest structure
- According to Tanaka, FFXIV is designed to be a game that caters to all different kinds of players, no matter your play style, or time available
Sources
- Allakhazam.com – FFXIV NEWS – Tanaka & Komoto Interview
- IGN.com – E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV Online Q & A Live Blog
- IGN.com – E3 2009: Final Fantasy XIV – What We Know
- IGN.com – Final Fantasy XIV Online PlayStation 3 Interview (video)
- G4tv.com – Live Blog: Square Enix E3 2009 Press Conference
I’ve been playing MMOs of one form or another for almost seven years now, and they’ve ranged from good old text MUDs to high-end graphic masterpieces. I’ve stayed the longest with FFXI, with LOTRO and EVE Online in second and third places respectively. I had quit EVE before starting FFXI, because well… it’s EVE. Excel in Space! I started playing LOTRO once I got a PC that could handle it graphically, and I played it and FFXI concurrently, since my husband played, and couldn’t get into FFXI. When I decided to take a break from FFXI last fall, I played LOTRO full-time and enjoyed it greatly. I should add here that I’m a huge Tolkien geek, so I’m sure that had something to do with it as well.
That’s not to say that it didn’t have its problems. My main character there is a Minstrel, a healing class. I play a Hunter as well, and took them both to max level, but Minstrel was always my first love. I was excited to play through the Mines of Moria (LOTRO’s first paid expansion) when it was released last November, and because the release coincided with my getting bored and frustrated with FFXI, it was a happy fix. Then, problems started showing up once I had completed just about everything there was to offer in LOTRO on my Minstrel. I did the trait grind, I did the rep grind, I did the instance grind. The only thing I didn’t do was raid or partake in PvMP (PvP in LOTRO), since neither of those activities are any fun for me. That left me with a tough choice:
Keep logging in, working on low level characters and doing the same content I’ve already done, or something else…
My husband was talking about going back to EVE, which sounded interesting, so I resubbed there and have messed around with it for a bit. It doesn’t really fill my “fantasy MMO” craving though, so I turned back to my old friend FFXI. I’ve been back for a few weeks now, and it feels great. I don’t feel the need to grind all the time, or bust my butt to get a specific piece of eq. Some nights, I’ve just sat in my Mog House (oh, how I missed my MH) and chatted with my KnightsBrigade friends. It’s been a wonderful experience to come back and just enjoy the game for what it is, and the people that make it special instead of viewing it as a constant grindfest, which is unfortunately what my mindset was when I decided to take a break.
The additions that Squenix has made to the game have certainly helped in that regard. I am a HUGE fan of Fields of Valor, and the recent WHM update. WHM now has even more tools to do what they do best, which is keep people alive. I haven’t tried MMM yet, and I’m not sure if I’m going to. I’ve also only done the first few missions of ACP, and that seems pretty decent so far as well. (Yes, I’ve read all of the negativity towards it on the forums, but I’m not really interested in busting it out in a few hours… I’ll take my time with it.)
I’m going to take SMN to 75 next, if I’m able. SMN is one of my favorite Final Fantasy jobs, and I’ve been having more fun playing it solo for the last little while than I ever have before. Now though, I’m to the point where I really need to get Fenrir, so while I’m waiting for that to happen, I decided that I’m going to level some of the melee jobs that have looked appealing to me. So far, I’ve started on DNC and I’m really enjoying it. I’m thinking of taking it to 18 for now to use as a sub to solo NIN or other jobs with. If I like it, I may take it higher, who knows!?
Anyways… it’s good to be back.  It’s good to take a break every now and then, I think. Stepping away gives you some perspective, and allows you to clarify what your goals and intentions are. It allows you to see what’s really important to you, and lets you figure out why it is that you play whatever game it is you play. Sometimes we can get blinded by the next shiny piece of gear, or the accumulation of gil/money, and we forget that we’re playing this game, taking part in this persistent world that has been created by Squenix, because we want to have fun. That’s what it all comes down to in my opinion, at least.
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