MMOs (FFXI)
Since becoming completely engulfed by the grasp of Vana'Diel in FFXI around 2003, I've played nothing that even comes close to providing the same amount of enjoyment from a game. Sure, the game had a ton of problems, but towards the beginning most were minor nuances that just made obtaining the top tier gear even that much more valuable... (JP latency, bots.. etc)...
I've since played multiple games including Wow, Aion, a few free Korean games, and I've been trying to get into FFXIV. The problem with FFXIV is the feeling is completely different than FFXI. What really set FFXI apart from the rest was the very competitive head to head competition. Though the HNM claiming system caused a few problems, it was incredibly intense when one would spawn, especially if you were lucky enough to get claim. Then watching the scrubs who claimed once in a blue moon wipe, though a bit sadistic, was really quite enjoyable. Lol.
As time goes on, the more pessimistic I become that I will ever get to experience something so unique and enjoyable again in an MMO. I have to admit I really like the extremely ambiguous stance that SE takes towards releasing information regarding the game, giving the players a really difficult task in decrypting all of the details, making doing so that much more rewarding. As much as I've dissed SE in the past regarding some of their decisions during my playing FFXI, I have to give them props in breaking the MMO paradigms to create something completely different from the rest, which turned out to be a lifetime experience for many of us...
Here's to hoping one day we can all battle it out again on the claiming grounds and laugh when Nidhogg consecutively lets loose 7 hurricane wings, wiping the majority of our alliance. =]
-peace...
I've since played multiple games including Wow, Aion, a few free Korean games, and I've been trying to get into FFXIV. The problem with FFXIV is the feeling is completely different than FFXI. What really set FFXI apart from the rest was the very competitive head to head competition. Though the HNM claiming system caused a few problems, it was incredibly intense when one would spawn, especially if you were lucky enough to get claim. Then watching the scrubs who claimed once in a blue moon wipe, though a bit sadistic, was really quite enjoyable. Lol.
As time goes on, the more pessimistic I become that I will ever get to experience something so unique and enjoyable again in an MMO. I have to admit I really like the extremely ambiguous stance that SE takes towards releasing information regarding the game, giving the players a really difficult task in decrypting all of the details, making doing so that much more rewarding. As much as I've dissed SE in the past regarding some of their decisions during my playing FFXI, I have to give them props in breaking the MMO paradigms to create something completely different from the rest, which turned out to be a lifetime experience for many of us...
Here's to hoping one day we can all battle it out again on the claiming grounds and laugh when Nidhogg consecutively lets loose 7 hurricane wings, wiping the majority of our alliance. =]
-peace...