Loading... 2009 Predictions

[Ethec]

On this last Loading... of 2008, I'll make a handful of predictions about what 2009 has in store for MMO gaming. I'm aiming for about 70% when Sardu does his "How did we do?" soothsayer article next year, so we'll see!

We'll also drop the Hammer with our review of The Shadow Odyssey expansion, offer part one of our look at the biggest MMO news stories of 2008, and much more in today's Loading... 2009 Predictions.

Have a happy and safe New Year's celebration tonight! Loading... will resume on Friday.

[Cody Bye]

Originally Posted by Ethec

On this last Loading... of 2008, I'll make a handful of predictions about what 2009 has in store for MMO gaming. I'm aiming for about 70% when Sardu does his "How did we do?" soothsayer article next year, so we'll see!

We'll also drop the Hammer with our review of The Shadow Odyssey expansion, offer part one of our look at the biggest MMO news stories of 2008, and much more in today's Loading... 2009 Predictions.

Have a happy and safe New Year's celebration tonight! Loading... will resume on Friday.

I'm not particularly keen on the love for the SOE titles. Not that I think there's anything wrong with EQ2 or DCUO, I just don't know if they'll be as successful as you're predicting....

That said, I'll have my own predictions coming next week. Then we'll get to the bottom of who we think is write or wrong.

[Ethec]

Maybe I am blinded by hope, but there's lots of intelligent, good looking people that swear by EQ2. If advancement could flow a little more smoothly all the way to the top so we could all be having the same elder game fun, I think we could see an EQ2 revival, for sure.

I'm not sure SOE has the formula down for how to incorporate known NPCs into a game (something at which I think SGW failed miserably at - too soon, too un-special) but I am craving some urban comic-inspired hijinx too in the vein of CoH. So we'll see

[Bansaw]

wait a minute.. Dare I ask.. would the great Ethec step foot back in the realm of Norrath?

[Shayalyn]

Originally Posted by Ethec

Maybe I am blinded by hope, but there's lots of intelligent, good looking people that swear by EQ2. If advancement could flow a little more smoothly all the way to the top so we could all be having the same elder game fun, I think we could see an EQ2 revival, for sure.

I completely agree. I abandoned EQ2 the first time around when my main was in her mid-30s; it just stopped being fun and the world felt too small compared to what I was accustomed to with EQ1. But my second trip into Norrath found me pretty quickly addicted. I did get a bit bored with soloing, but if I could find myself an active guild I think I could happily play EQ2 for a good long time. The game is solid. It has all the bells and whistles that make a game superbly playable. And, while it may be 500 years in the future, it's still Norrath, the MMOG environment I've known and loved since I started playing MMOGs.

Of all the MMOGs I've played, I still rank EQ2 as the best. Others may have a solid pull in the opening levels (as was the case with AoC), but EverQuest will always own a little piece of my heart.

[Sardu]

Originally Posted by Ethec

I'm not sure SOE has the formula down for how to incorporate known NPCs into a game (something at which I think SGW failed miserably at - too soon, too un-special) but I am craving some urban comic-inspired hijinx too in the vein of CoH. So we'll see

I'd unfortunately have to agree with this one, though mostly in terms of how parts of old Norrath are implemented in EQ2. A great example would be when I first heard they were adding Unrest - I don't know a single person who didn't do at least part of their early leveling on one of the characters in the original zone. It's where most people learned how to make a hotkey for "Train to zone!! Move it or lose it!!" I was pretty excited to see what might have been done with the update... until I realized it was a max-level, group dungeon.

That's just one of many old zones to get the same treatment, which is too bad really. They added a lot of character to the leveling experience in EQ, and were notable 'hotzones' even before the concept became an official mechanic.

All of that said, I do still think EQ2 is easily one of the best games on the market. Vastly different than the Norrath that got me into MMOGs in the first place, but a solid experience in it's own rights.

When EQ3 is inevitably released, I'm sure I'll be one of the first people in line to pick up a copy (or push the 'download' button as the case will very likely be by that point :P)

[Cody Bye]

Originally Posted by Bansaw

wait a minute.. Dare I ask.. would the great Ethec step foot back in the realm of Norrath?

Not to derail the thread, but I love the Conan quite Bansaw.

[Bansaw]

^^Why thank you kind sir!^^

I figured anything that ended with "contemplate this on the tree of woe" has got to be good stuff!

[RadarX]

Originally Posted by Shayalyn

Of all the MMOGs I've played, I still rank EQ2 as the best. Others may have a solid pull in the opening levels (as was the case with AoC), but EverQuest will always own a little piece of my heart.

Like I said in my review, TSO was going to be a tough sell for me. I am sooo very a "don't look back" kind of person when it comes to gaming. The only exception has been WoW and my returns get shorter and shorter each time.

The PvE really was a pleasent change from what I was used to. To be fair and honest I did have a group of people I knew who were there to coach me about everything that had changed. There is now an enormous world full of not only solo but group content that I hadn't seen before and with other games getting so watered down a challenge was refreshing. It's definitely not for the faint of heart but appears to be geared more toward veteran MMOG players.

[kitsunegirl]

Prediction:

The world will end. And either two things will happen:

The news media will not cover it because it is not politically correct to do so.
Or they will blame it on a Republican-conspiracy along with "global warming."