No Empire has conquered the passage of time… Until now!
Yearly Archives: 2010
Do you have 88 Million Dollars? Run a Private WoW Server!
Do you have 88 Million Dollars? Run a Private WoW Server!
If you have 88 Million Dollars lying around collecting dust you could use it to run an illegal World of Warcraft server. You may make a bit of money in the beginning but at some point you may need that 88 Million to pay off Blizzard!
A private server company, Scapegaming run by Alyson Reeves, lost a lawsuit and was ordered by court to pay Blizzard Entertainment over $88 million in damages.

Scapegaming was operating illegal World of Warcraft servers which earned him just over $3 million.
The other $85 million of that settlement was for ‘statutory damages’.
Ouch!
Source: Slashdot
Captains of DarkTide MMO Adds PvP Battles
Captains of DarkTide MMO Adds PvP Battles
Players Battle Head to Head for Treasure and Glory in Captains of DarkTide
Battlegrave has been added as the first ever PvP zone in the Fantasy Pirates MMO Captains of DarkTide (CoDT). The new zone throws players into head-to-head battles for the right to collect loot barrels that spawn periodically near the center of the region. Battlegrave is the first of a number of specially themed tactical battle zones, which include areas such as “Boss Lairs” and more PvP scenarios that will be introduced throughout open beta.

Battlegrave challenges players to compete in a king-of-the-hill style map without the risk of losing items. Players whose ships are sunk during PvP battle will have the option to stay as a shipwreck and watch the battle rage while their ships are slowly repaired, or respawn immediately on the outer edge of the zone, allowing for faster repairs before heading back into the fray. Loot barrels that periodically spawn in random locations towards the center of the map will have a chance of containing rare and epic items, as well as DarkTide Credits, which are normally purchased for cash in the CoDT store.
“Building a browser-based MMO doesn’t mean you can’t build a fully featured, top quality 3D game. We’ve added PvP strategy zones, and we’re gearing up to add persistent player-created Islands,” says Lead Developer Eric Wiggins. “Battlegrave is just the first step. One by one, we’re going to add features and content until we’ve proven that every MMO feature you can deliver in a bulky stand-alone client, you can develop in a top quality 3D browser engine.”
DarkTide is currently in open beta; players can sign up at the official website and begin playing right away. Battlegrave PvP zone is now available, with special promotional items being randomly spawned for players who show up to the grand opening weekend.
Zentia Early Access Beta: Open to All Players, No Character Wipes!
Zentia Early Access Beta: Open to All Players, No Character Wipes!
ChangYou.com proudly announces that on August 16th, the Zentia Early Access Beta will be open to the gaming community worldwide. The MMORPG gaming community will have full access to the game with no Beta Key required. In addition, accounts and characters created in the Zentia Early Access Beta will transfer over to Open Beta in early Q4, 2010.
“Our goal is to bring the ‘Fun’ back into the MMORPG gaming community. With Zentia, we’ve successfully accomplished this by offering unique features like multi-passenger mounts, humorous content, in-depth social leveling system and a competitive PvP gameplay for both casual and hardcore gamers,” says Susan Revelt, Senior Producer of Zentia. “The world of Zentia is so vast that even our product team hasn’t uncovered all of its secrets.”

Zentia is developed by Pixel Soft and proudly presented by ChangYou.com. ChangYou’s latest Free-2-Play MMORPG, Zentia is a beautifully rendered 3D game. It is designed with a mix of charm, light-hearted animation, and humorous content. Its imaginative story quirky style keeps the audience engaged. Choose from any of twenty-two characters with 8 different class systems as well as numerous crafting skills. The extensive pet-capture system helps provide a distinctive gameplay experience. Fight for pride through battlegrounds and arenas. Players can enter battle with combat mounts; some of which can hold up to ten players.
The Zentia Early Access Beta will allow players to extensively explore the game, discover new features, and work together to unlock the secret of the Heavenly Test. All characters and accounts created in the Zentia Early Access Beta will transfer over to Open Beta.
Features:
– 22 unique characters with 8 different class systems
– Jail System – Jail time for attacking peaceful players
– Heavenly Test – Social leveling system
– Competitive PvP, PvE, Battlegrounds, and Arenas
– Numerous monsters to capture for pets or multi-person mounts
– Various crafting skills
– Exciting quests, quizzes and daily events at every level
TERA: Arborea unveiled
TERA: Arborea unveiled
The world of the state-of-the-art online game TERA relates its history
Frogster, leading video game publisher based in Berlin, reveals some details about the lore of its highly-ambitious online role-playing game TERA. The developer Bluehole Studio Inc. spent years on the creation of the background of the vast world of Arborea. Here is just a glimpse on its depth.
In the beginning, there were two ancient gods. After spending thousands of years in a realm of eternal war, Shara and Arun fled a universe of endless battles. After hiding their weapons in a secret temple, they entered a deep sleep. As they slept, they began to dream – dreaming a new universe into existence.
Their resting flesh turned to stone over centuries and created the continents. To populate this new world, Arun and Shara dreamed a generation of gods, who in turn created mortal races.
But soon, greed and power struggles amongst these new gods caused the doom of this idyllic world. The so-called “Divine War” tore the world apart and resulted in a total disappearance of most gods. The few survivors were trapped in heavenly exile or hiding to heal their wounds. The mortal races were now free to act on their own, to prosper and to develop complex civilizations over centuries.
But a new evil has appeared, willing to bend them under its will, like the older gods used to do. The Argons, a race coming from the subterranean world started to wreak havoc on the territories of the different races. Their only goal now seems to be the utter domination of the surface world.
The Argons first attacks were so strong that none of the surface dwellers were able to repel them. Therefore the Humans decided to forge an alliance named the “Valkyon Federation” with the Castanics, the Amani, the Poporis, the Barakas and the High Elves, the main factions of the world. This coalition was created with the goal of preventing the Argons from conquering the civilized races of the surface world.
Players of TERA enter this universe in a critical period for the Federation. Tensions are emerging among the members of the federation while the Argons slowly gain more ground. Many of the gods from Arborea’s early days are rising again, meddling in mortal affairs, settling old scores, and trying to regain the divine power they lost at the end of the Divine War.
Dream of Mirror Online Interview: Content Updates!
Dream of Mirror Online Interview: Content Updates!
Questions by Vincent Haoson, OnRPG Journalist
Answered by Erin Prince – Associate Producer, Aeria Games and Entertainment, Dream of Mirror Online
Dream of Mirror Online is one of Aeria game’s biggest MMORPGs and one of its longest running games. In a competitive field such as the MMORPG scene, it’s a near miracle to stay alive for this long. So we here on OnRPG knocked at their door and asked how the game is doing.
OnRPG: It’s been years since the game started operation, so how is Domo currently faring?
Aeria Games released Dream or Mirror Online (DOMO) in 2007 and is our second longest running game after Last Chaos. The fun social aspects and appealing anime themes make it one of the most beloved Aeria games. DOMO has a mix of both veteran and new players from around the globe on two highly active servers, Sapphire and Onyx. We’re especially excited about what’s happening in DOMO right now because we are right on the verge of releasing new content for all character levels.
OnRPG: What were the biggest changes which had to be made for the sake of the players? Why did you need to change that part of the game?
Flying pets has been the biggest change so far players really wanted. One of the first things you get to do in DOMO is learn how to fly across the world on your weapon. Throughout the game you can obtain other things to fly on such as magic carpets, brooms and surfboards. Another thing you start doing early in the game is summoning a pet to fight alongside you. Players thought it just seemed silly that these two systems, flying and pet, didn’t work together. So we worked with our developer and put in the flying pet upgrade system. Now there are dozens of pets that you can upgrade to fly.
DOMO Tadpoles
The biggest change we’ve had to make is actually about to be released in August. We’re adding events in game that are run by the game and not GMs. Our players have so many diverse schedules that it was nearly impossible to plan our events at times when everyone could get to them. So a new Daily Events system is about to be released where players can win prizes for competing in puzzle games, quiz shows and even darts throughout the day and night. If all goes well we’ll expand the number and types of events in this system as Fall approaches. We won’t be replacing GM run events with these Daily events, it is merely an addition we are making to accommodate our player’s preferred schedules.
OnRPG: Do you see the game as being a successful “social anime themed MMORPG”? Why do you think so?
I also think we’ve held strong to our anime roots, mostly through our graphics and the general feel of the game. You’ll see numerous veiled references to anime culture in our monsters, costumes and emotes. Plus, the discussion of anime culture is a prevalent topic of conversation among our players in game. We have an active and vocal community both in the game and on our forums. This is really a game where you can connect to other people, help out friends, create rivalries and meet tons of new people.

DOMO Characters asking /what?
OnRPG: What social features do players love in the game? Why do they say so?
DOMO players are very fond of their guilds. It keeps them connected and lets them find people with common interests within the game. They share resources, help each other out, and hang out in their guild cottage. There are also some new guild systems that will be implemented this summer which will take the rivalry that exists between guilds to a new level.
OnRPG: Early last year, the game incorporated a same gender marriage system. How has that feature been accepted by the players?
Inevitably, when a new player starts in DOMO they ask “What is this red line and thumping sound I get whenever I go near certain players.” What they’re hearing is the beating of their heart and what they see is a love line. These lines connect you to other players who you might be “compatible” with based on your Zodiac information. It is the introduction of the DOMO relationship system, which allows you to have friends, mentors and get married. The love lines aren’t necessary for you to get married they just start you on the path.
Players build up their relationships by playing together and doing things over a long period of time. Many pairs of players had chosen the same gender character upon creation and were frustrated that they couldn’t get the benefits of being married. So despite reluctance from some parties, we convinced the developers that players really wanted to have same sex marriage options. Players are glad to be able to access all of the games content now without having a restriction on character gender.
OnRPG: Has the game population met the expectations you have for the game? Why or why not?
This is a social MMO; we always believe “the more the merrier”. Millions of people have played DOMO over the years and many of them have been with us for a long time. As DOMO expanded we’ve had to open a second server and now are seeing a rising number of international players. There are thousands of people playing around the clock in DOMO from no fewer than 40 countries every month. We’re even opening a new map soon for our growing number of high level players.

Epic characters
OnRPG: How active are your players in the game?
DOMO benefits from a great Aeria Games program where volunteers called Game Sages help keep the community active and fresh by running events in game and on forums, helping new players, and organizing events. Our Game Sages know DOMO backwards and forwards so are constantly coming up fun things for players to do both in and out of the game. We pick our Game Sages partly on how well they know all the aspects of DOMO because most players are very active trying out a variety of play styles, from PvP in the Arena, to being an active seller and setting up goods for sell, almost everyone actively crafts in at least one profession and nearly everyone has been in a guild at one time or another.
OnRPG: With the game facing tough competition do you think Domo will be able to keep up with the numerous competitors it has to face? Why do you think so?
While there may be lots of MMOs out there, DOMO really is more of a niche game. There isn’t a better game that mixes strong MMORPG mechanics, with a variety of social play styles in a uniquely anime setting. DOMO is a game experience you don’t forget easily and keeps people coming back time and time again. Players love that they can level up 14 different classes on the same character. New systems like the Almanac of Gods and Demons, which allows players to capture, trade and summon monsters, provide diversity of gameplay across all levels. Plus the devoted DOMO fan base makes this one of the easiest and most fun games a person can just jump into at any time and feel welcome.
OnRPG: what’s currently the most sought after item in the game? What does it do and why do you think players are searching for it?
That’s a tricky question to answer, because it varies so much across different player focuses. People who are really into costumes seek out the special costumes named after our GMs. People who like to be able to play solo seek out pets like the Nurse Sara who does special heal abilities. Hardcore fighters like to get the Level 70 Ultimate Weapons, which are super rare. People who focus on PvP work long and hard to get the permanent Light Wings – and there are only a handful of those on each server. Crafters try to get the materials to make High Level Alchemy items. There is just so much to try and achieve or obtain it is hard to say that there is one most sought after item.

OnRPG: What’s the game feature that players are enjoying in Domo right now? Why do you say so?
Right now we are seeing people doing more PvE probably because we just put in the Almanac of Gods and Demons. It leads to more people venturing out into the world to trap and kill monsters. It also encourages people to play in parties because it is easier to trap a monster if your friends are keeping all the other monsters off your back. Plus, as a social game people are always looking to party to go out and level up. There are always people on the forums, in the shout box and the in game chat looking for parties.
OnRPG: Are there any major updates coming up for Domo?
Things we know are coming include a New Map, New Daily Events, New Quests for all levels and a new upgrade system for weapons and armor which enhances the one already in use. There’s more than that too but all I can say about it is that everything we’re putting in gives players more things to do, a cleaner more attractive in game experience, and more incentive to try out all the different aspects of the game.
The Exiled Realm Of Arborea (TERA) Beta Preview
The Exiled Realm Of Arborea (TERA) Beta Preview
By Tully Ackland (Kaxzane), OnRPG Journalist
So it’s been some weeks since the E3 expo finished and I’ve been contemplating which of the MMOs I saw there that I’m most looking forward to and I’ve come to the conclusion that its TERA. I’ll explain why I’m hyped by this title and try to figure out what race and career choices I will aim toward on its release date.
This is a process many of us go through for an online game: You start to imagine which role you see yourself in and how you will be the pinnacle of the server if you plan it all ahead. Of course you’re delusional, as it rarely becomes a reality. Once the launch date comes round you end up picking a different career because of friends or because there are rumors from the beta that “x class” is the most overpowered.
Regardless, that won’t stop me from getting overly worked up about a game that I have no hard information on yet.
So why should we look forward to TERA?
Fans of Action / Adventure games who want to step into the MMO world will find a home with “The First True Action MMO”: If you are a Player vs Player addict or a fan of meaningful PvE then TERA promises to satisfy you like no other RPG you’ve played before. Yes, this is a bold claim.

If you’re as vain as the majority of 21st century gamers, including myself, then you can rejoice as the game is built on the Unreal 3 Engine, which you can be assured will provide impressive visuals: But the important thing is the game-play, yes?
Well, Bluehole Studios have utilized the Engine beyond its graphical prowess by creating a dynamic battle system: Your view perspective is similar to third person shooters like Gears of War; there is no tab targeting so you’ll be aiming at your enemies manually; the position of your character and the timing of attacks; blocks; and dodges determine the outcome of each confrontation. As a result, combat is described as being more intuitive, exciting, and realistic.
It has also been mentioned that while you may play the game with a traditional mouse and keyboard setup it caters equally well to a controller. Those of you who have an Xbox 360 windows compatible controller will be able to take advantage here.
While this approach of combining action with an MMO isn’t entirely revolutionary, it is still up for debate if it has been executed in a satisfying way. If TERA can do right with its claims, then its PvP experience could provide far more immersion and entertainment than we typically see.

(Left – Right) Aman, Popori, Casanies, Humans, High Elves, Baraka
Playable Races
There will be six playable races are available at launch: Aman; Baraka; Casanies; High Elves; Humans and Popori – Yes you saw correctly, Popori are small and bear-like in appearance! The class options are Archer (RDPS), Berserker (MDPS), Lancer (Tank), Mystic (Support), Priest (Support), Slayer (MDPS), Sorcerer (RDPS) and Warrior (MDPS). With 3 Melee DPS choices available it sends the impression that Player vs Player interaction may primarily revolve around frantic melee combat. As the game is titled an Action MMO this is probably correct. There are no specific factions for race so you’ll be forging alliances to compete in the realm. Which means you and your friends will be able to make a choice of race and class freely.
As a long time PvP MMO veteran, the player-built alliance on alliance system instead of set racial factions will do wonders for the games lifespan. You typically see other Player vs Player MMO’s built around racial factions drop off the radar more quickly when population balance starts to take a turn for the worse; this will be less of a problem for the guys at Bluehole Studios as there will always be the possibility for new alliances to rise up without the grind of having to level with an underdog team.

While it’s widely known amongst my colleagues that I’m a huge fan of bears, the Popori almost look too cute even for me, with the screenshots shown so far I’ll be playing an Aman or Casanie. As for class, this is where my wild imagination comes in. I usually adopt the more agile melee fighters, so Warrior would be my primary choice. This will likely change and I’ll be sure to do a preview as soon as the opportunity arises. I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re seeing some similarities in the artwork to Lineage 2, if so then you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Bluehole Studios is comprised of many of the developers that worked on that title.
They established themselves in 2007 and began working on TERA immediately as a sole task. A short time ago, Bluehole Interactive, their U.S based office opened its doors and took on employees from Mythic Entertainment and NcSoft, two studios both extremely familiar with MMO design focusing on Player vs Player elements. TERA will ship in North America and Europe in 2011, so there is a while to wait and lots more information to come flying toward us before then!
Dynasty Warriors Online
Prepare for War: choose your allegiance and fight for the glory of your Dynasty. Lead your faction’s forces against a corrupt emperor and take control of the beautiful and ruthless ancient China.
– Annihilate armies with unique tactical combat.
– Enthralling graphics capture the essence of the era.
– Battle live opponents in the world of Dynasty Warriors.
– Multifaceted leveling can turn the tide of war.
Mechquest Review – Another Game by Artix
Mechquest Review – Another Game by Artix
By Mohammad Abubakr, OnRPG Journalist
I normally do not play browser-based games but I was drawn to Mechquest. One of the main reasons was because when I was a kid, my friends and I used to play Adventure Quest. After Artix developed and published Mechquest, I just could not leave it without trying it out. Mechquest is a browser based game. If you have played any of the other games by Artix Entertainment, you should be familiar with Mechquest. This game, like all of Artix Entertainment’s games, is browser based. This means you do not need to download anything! All you need is the latest version of Adobe Flash installed into your web browser, which most computers already have.
What is this game about?
Mechquest is a game about? You guessed it, mechs. Mechs are gigantic robots, which are controlled by their pilot. While playing Mechquest you can customize, train, and fight from inside your mech. The story behind Mechquest is not very complex. The game is set 5,000 years before Artix’s Adventure Quest. Normally when you think about advanced machinery you imagine the future. Artix however has taken a different approach and based it 5,000 years before the time of the knights and mages. While playing the game you take on the role as a mech pilot who is on their way to G.E.A.R.S University.
Customization
At the beginning of the game you create your character and mech. There are not many options to choose from. You can choose between some hairstyles, the colour of your hair, and your skin colour. Just the basic stuff. When designing your mech, you are able to only change its colour.

Creating a character and mech
After you have earned some credits, you are able to customize your character further! You can buy completely new mechs which feature unique designs and colours. You can even customize all your weapons and add them to any mech! One thing about customizing your character and equipping new weapons that I find really annoying is that you have to do this every time you login! Yes, that’s right. When you logout and come back later all your equipment and mechs go back to your inventory. This gets really annoying because you have to do this every time, and if you forget and go into battle you don’t stand a chance. This problem can be solved, but it is not free. I will explain how further down in this article.
Combat
The combat is different from most MMOs. When playing an MMO, you often expect to just target a mob, and repeatedly hit your skill hotkeys until it is dead. This is not the case for Mechquest. Mechquest features a turn based fighting system. When fighting an enemy, you are given a list of all your equipped attacks. Just click one, and watch your character attack. After reading the above paragraph, you are probably thinking “Wow, the combat sucks.” This is not the case though. When fighting in Mechquest some of your attacks have cool downs. Cooldowns basically mean you are required to wait a couple of turns before you are allowed to use that attack again.
Keeping in mind how long each weapon or attack requires you to wait before you can use it again, players must consider what weapons they equip and what order to use them in. If done correctly you can (most of the time) keep fighting without having to wait. If all your weapons are still cooling down, you may click the skip button to skip your turn. This game is not aimed towards the more mature players, so the combat is not very complex.

Attacking a Rebel Trooper
Combat is not always in your mech, though. Some missions will allow you to fight on foot. You fight head to head with enemies using your light saber!
How do I get rich and become a high level?
Like most MMOs, you will have to fight against enemies or do quests to level up and gain credits. Credits are the in game currency used to buy stuff, like mechs or weapons. After each battle you are met with a screen which displays how much EXP and how many credits you have earned. You can also do some missions, which mostly involve you taking some enemies down. You can recognize NPCs with missions available as they will have an ! over their head.

Screen displaying EXP and Credits earned
The game is free, how does Artix make money?
Like many MMOs, Mechquest allows its players to upgrade to a full membership. These full members, also referred to as Star Captains have access to more weapons, mechs, missions, and like I hinted earlier they can save their equipment set ups. Unlike most games, Mechquest only charges a onetime fee. If you were a full member on any of their other games, like Adventure Quest or Dragonfable you are eligible to upgrade to Star Captain for free!
Conclusion
It might just be that my tastes toward MMOs have changed, but I did not quite enjoy playing Mechquest. I had a lot of fun with Adventure Quest, so I was expecting to experience the same with Mechquest. I am pretty sure I would not enjoy AQ at this time, either. If you enjoy playing simple browser based games or are not allowed to download any games, you should give this game a go. If you are more into 3D MMOs, I do not think you will enjoy this game a lot.
The Good:
– Nice graphics
– No download required
– All computers can run it
– Easy to get into
– Funny dialogues
The Bad:
– Very simple gameplay (Could be a good thing for some.)
– Not online, you cannot see your friends running around
– A lot of the cool looking mechs and weapons are locked to Star Captains (not a major flaw, as Artix needs income)
– Some missions are locked for free players.
– A free player cannot save equips.
– No fullscreen
State of the Gaming Address; Games Used to be So Epic
State of the Gaming Address; Games Used to be So Epic
By Kei Beneza (dividelife), OnRPG Journalist
I remember a time when video games didn’t receive such harsh criticisms. Back then, the term “good game” was more of a personal opinion rather than a big “8.0” you see at game review sites. If you think about it, picking a game used to be so simple; gamers would just get titles that had great box art. No, gamers didn’t need to see the fat “9” to know that Power Rangers: The Movie, for the Super Nintendo was an awesome game. In the good old days, games weren’t treated like movies. There were no rants regarding grinding, no fanboy raging on bad graphics, and definitely no complaints regarding repetition. There was always something positive about each game and there’s nothing wrong with grabbing the low-selling titles on the shelf. So what happened to the good old days? What stops gamers from grabbing the last copy of Clive Barker’s Jericho from Gamestop? Let’s find out…

Games Aren’t Getting Any Cheaper
I’m not sure if it’s the economic crisis speaking, but games aren’t exactly getting cheaper. Now days we have games that actually charge people to play, even after they buy the box! . This could be associated with pay to play MMOs like World of Warcraft and Warhammer Online. Fourteen bucks per month? That’s like a new game every 3 months. Some games also charge people for downloadable content such as extra missions (seriously… MISSIONS!) and extra armor (we seriously have to pay to wear this?). I suppose getting a game isn’t so easy now that people need to pay more to unlock extra items.
“Why play -censored- when -censored- has more players? I’m still gonna pay whether I like it or not, so why do I have to test other games when this one’s been proven good?”
Typical, yet we can’t blame people for thinking this way as playing three games at the same time only takes your credit card bill up bythree notches.
The Online Era
I suppose picking a game used to be easy; you would only be playing with people who were close to you. Unless you’re an arcade player, the only Ken your Ryu will be facing would either be your brother or your friend. Since some games (or consoles) require you to pay for online content (let alone the ability to play online), you must always get the game that’s sure to satisfy your subscription fee. No use using Xbox live if you’re gonna play Guilty Gear Overture right? Believe it or not, it is majority rule that keeps us from playing the games we like. Such antics like stereotypical scoring revolve around this, hence the picky purchasing.
Scoring and Reviews
Not really saying that reviews are dumb (yeah, saved myself there), but people should always keep in mind that these reviews are written by a single gamer, meaning everything stated is only one opinion out of many. In my opinion, no gaming experience or job credentials can completely justify how good a game is. Unless the game has glitches or obstructions that hinder the gamer from finishing the game COMPLETELY (*cough Tomb Raider fail), we should always respect the idea that some games were made for specific people. I mean, you don’t expect an RPG hater to give Chrono Trigger a perfect 10 right?
NEXGEN Outlook
Games (or at least some of them) that fail to meet the system’s capabilities are no longer welcome in today’s era. If I must explain, I think Megaman 9 only pushed through because of its lineage. You don’t expect most people to buy games that have NES graphics right? Especially if they’re running on an uber pimped up PC. Believe it or not, games (or ideas for games) are continuously being slaughtered by our rapid upgrades. Some games are meant to look a certain way, though it’s kinda sad that they won’t see the light nor be able to capture the gamers’ hearts.

Gamer 1: People Who Got Sick Of Similarities
I’m not sure if it’s the “in-thing” today, but I’ve seen tons of stereotypes plaguing review sites and forums regarding the different genres of gaming. We’ve reached a certain point where games are having a hard time evolving, possibly due to the rapid upgrades stated earlier. Now, games that share the same elements with different games are being picked on.

“Hah! Grinding again? It doesn’t offer anything new… so dump it!”
Each game gives a unique experience. We didn’t really compare Metal Slug to Contra now did we? Regardless of their similarities, each of them takes players into their own respective virtual world. Now instead of saying “OMGSAUCE DIS EES TOTALIE COPEYIING WORLD OF WARCRAFT!”, go play it and see how well it stands on its own.

Gamer 2: People Who Look For Similarities
In opposition to the one mentioned above, some prefer seeing games that are similar to their personal favorites, hence the Final Fantasy fanboys who won’t stop judging American RPGs. The first one was already annoying, but this one’s worse (fanboys, I mean). On a side note, the discreet version of this type of gamer is okay, especially since they respect the fact that some games were created for specific gamers. In the MMO perspective, we see tons of games that copy the very essence of a certain game, incorporating it into their project as though it was original. Though rated abysmally for its mirror-play, some gamers actually like it because of the similarities. It’s not a bad thing… More like personal preferences.

Games Are Not Movies
As far as I’m concerned, games should not be treated like movies, nor should they be bashed and killed like the whole nation depends on it. I sure do miss those days, when gamers focused more on the pros rather than the never ending cons. Let’s take Jean Claude Van Damme’s Street fighter movie for example. You know it sucks big time, and hell it was funny seeing Sagat in a tux, but who knows? Maybe the kids liked it. Games are games. They are played, not criticized. Not your cup of tea? Then it’s simply just NOT THE GAME FOR YOU.