Whispertrance - Rantings of a Literate Gamer

Let’s be perfectly honest with ourselves right off – the MMO market is the most popular video game market in the industry today. Everyone and their mother wants to get in on the success of World of Warcraft and its forefathers, Everquest and Ultima Online, but for the most part all other entries into the genre have been stale, repetitive, or blatant rip-offs. Each new game is full of some new gimmick to try to pull in players, whether it be a new setting (ala Star Wars: The Old Republic) or new gameplay mechanics (such as Public Quests in EA Mythic’s Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning). And with The Elder Scrolls Online on the horizon, is the MMO market doomed to more copy-pasted games?

This weekend marked the first beta weekend for upcoming The Secret World, and I can say that it has been a breath of fresh air. Everything about the game oozes the makings of the next big hit, even if it is coming from Funcom, whose past is plagued with difficult (even failed) forays into the MMO market. Set in a modern world, The Secret World tells the story we’ve all wanted to hear: all of the myths and legends, monsters and magic, all of it – it’s all real, and it’s all coming. Yes, dark days are coming and it’s up to the players, initiates of one of three secret societies based off of actual legend, to stand in the way of the oncoming storm.

This weekend focused on the opening story of the Templars, the most militant and traditional of the three secret societies featured in The Secret World. Their homebase is London, in a not-too-inconspicuous temple and its surrounding city blocks, cordoned off by heavy police and military presence for the players to roam around without fear of cars and non-“secret worlders”.

Jumping into the game is pretty easy. The character creation is a breeze, though a little limited at the moment (which is most likely because of its status as a beta build). After name selection, you are treated to a cut scene explaining your newly created character’s introduction into The Secret World: one sleepy night, a magic bee flies into your mouth and gives you magic powers. Weird, right? It gets even weirder as you are paid a visit by a woman that knows you and what you can do, inviting you to join the Templars. The rest, they say, is history.

Controls are pretty standard for an MMO. W,A,S,D gets you around, Space makes you jump, and the camera is controlled by holding down the Right Mouse Button and rotating the mouse. Moving quicker is enabled by pressing the X button, which adds a buff allows your character to sprint while out of combat. There isn’t much to write about basic movement controls – it’s fairly standard stuff that’s easy to get accustomed to for veterans and newbies a like.

Soon after your introduction into movement, The Secret World throws you into combat via an odd memory sequence, in which you relive the memories of someone else, a girl named Sarah. Remember those promotional videos featuring the Templar, Illuminati and Dragon poster children, Alex, Rose and Mei Ling? They’re there, and they help walk you through basic combat. You pick up a shotgun and almost immediately zombies begin pouring through air ducts of the subway in which you are in.

Combat is very interesting in The Secret World. Many abilities, especially those involving firearms or melee weapons, don’t require that you target a creature directly – just fire away and what ever is in front of you and within the range of the ability takes the brunt of it. There are targeted abilities, of course, most of which do most of the damage (one of the Shotgun abilities you get right off, called “Out for a Kill”, blasts a targeted enemy for a ridiculously amount of damage, as well as causing knockback). Combat abilities often add on specific conditions to the enemy, such as “Hindered”, “Impaired”, or “Afflicted”, which can often give your combat abilities more oomf for their worth.

Aside from shotguns, there are a variety of other ways to put the punishment on the monsters and myths of The Secret World. There are blades, hammers, fist weapons, elementalism magic, blood magic, chaos magic, assault rifles, dual pistols, and, of course, shotguns. Each one of these weapons has their own ability trees, most of which were locked during the beta. Still, the players this weekend had 14 abilities (being 7 Active and 7 Passive) to choose from for each weapon. Now, Active abilities are the ones they will be familiar to most people – healing spells, attacks, and buffs that you click on to activate like any other MMO. Passive abilities work in the background, increasing critical chances, adding new mechanics to spells, or adding new conditions to enemies.

Abilities are purchased with ability points, which are gained through combat and experience. Once you purchase these abilities, they’re yours forever – the practical upshot of which is that you can very easily merge two weapon trees together to make an interesting and devastating combo. For example, I went with Elementalism and Blades, both of which rely on attack power and critical chance to inflict massive amounts of damage very quickly. I’ve seen lots of great combos – fists and chaos magic, hammers and shotguns, etc. They combinations are really endless, and allows for an incredible amount of customization to appeal to both the min-maxers out there, as well as the free and independent thinkers.

Aside from abilities, Skills enhance the effectiveness and damage of abilities and their respective weapons, even as far as adding new mechanics and new conditions to the attacks. Skills points are also acquired via experience, though it takes filling up the entire gauge to get a Skill point, unlike the segmented sections for Abilities points.

The user interface is clean, modern, and stunning. The abilities and buttons look like app buttons on modern cell phones, the texts and fonts are clear and easy to read, and it makes the most out of limited screen real estate my smashing everything against the edges. Quests are tracked one at a time (something that took my World of Warcraft-centric mind to get used to) underneath the mini-map, but It’s incredibly easy to switch your focus: hover over the stack of icons on the quest tracker and click the desired quest to go on your way.

Now, let’s talk about my favorite part of the game (aside from everything else): the setting. The questing hub for this weekend was Kingsmouth, the first area of Solomon Island. Let me make this perfectly clear: Kingsmouth is breathtakingly detailed, featuring everything from homes, post offices, phone books, an engaging (surviving) citizenry, and plenty of secrets to discover as you trek across its ruined land. The streets, rivers, bays, woods and fields are crawling with everything from the watery Draugr to the ever-present zombie to ferocious Wendigoes, and all of them are ready to put up a fight if you venture too close.

The story and writing for The Secret World is excellent, worthy of any movie or novel. Occasionally cheesy, the dialogue is engaging and funny, even referencing the real world and pop culture. All of the characters they you interact with are unique in their own way, whether they be hilariously obsessed with the philosophy of destruction as Sandy or curious about the Orochi Group’s interest in sleepy Kingsmouth as Danny, you’re sure to find someone to both love and hate.

The quests here were all incredibly interesting, though some of them reverted to the good ol’ “go here and kill/collect X” formula (even it it was to burn the body parts, ala shotgun-toting-old-timer Norma Creed). Several of the quests, however, were far more engaging – such as “The Kingsmouth Code”, which led players on a hunt across the town to discover the secrets left behind by its Illuminati forefathers. This quest not only involved exploring the environment, but also internet research. That’s right – in order to solve a piece of the puzzle, you had to use the game’s in-game browser (which utilizes the real, whole internet) to look up names and dates, even phrases and Bible passages. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced in a game – MMO or otherwise (Meryl’s codec frequency notwithstanding).

The game is not without some errors - that inventory system needs to be fixed, and there are some odd collision bugs and stuck spots. But it’s beta - what am I to expect?

All in all, I’m very, very, very impressed with The Secret World, and can’t wait to dive into next weekend’s beta, and the whole of the game itself. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something new in the MMO market, or fans of smart, funny and engaging urban fantasy.

People have been talking about this forever, but I never really thought that Bethesda would risk transferring their precious Elder Scrolls franchise into the realm where World of Warcraft reigns. Being developed by ZeniMax Online Studios (a new studio under Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media), it’ll be an entirely separate project from the ongoing development of Skyrim and its DLC.

The trailer, narrated by everyone’s favorite Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), seems to indicate that the storyline for the game will occur either in the years leading up to or during The Great War between the Empire and the Aldmeri Dominion – allowing for the game world to feature a dual faction system similar to World of Warcraft’s Horde and Alliance.

If this is the case, I wonder, then, if races will be limited to specific factions, or if you’ll be able to play any race across any faction. During the time of The Great War, the Empire is all but shattered, and the Aldmeri Dominion plays host to just as many “provinces” as the crumbling Cyrodiilic Empire. The Aldmeri have Alinor (Summerset Isles), Valenwood, Elsweyr (rather, the two kingdoms that make up Elsweyr – Anequina and Pellentine), and supposedly have some influence over Black Marsh (though that’s debatable), while the Empire clings to Cyrodiil, Skyrim, High Rock, Hammerfell, and what’s left of Morrowind following the Red Mountain’s eruption and the destruction of Vvardenfell. Black Marsh is, for all intents and purposes, an independent nation.

I’ve always felt that it’s risky to place a new storyline between two already-establishes stories, simply because it doesn’t allow for a lot of creative maneuverability. Simply put – it puts a certain level of restraint on the developers of the game by forcing them to stick to an established continuity. Then again, it doesn’t put them in the same situation Blizzard is in with the Warcraft franchise – which effectively can’t progress because the story for WoW is “never ending” and thereby limiting the opportunities to develop a new storyline for a new Warcraft RTS game.

Still, if anyone can do it it’s the fine folks at ZeniMax and Bethesda. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what they do with it!

I guess you could say that I’m one of those guys that really enjoys the “artsy” type games – you know the type: minimalist design, simple (often interpretive) story, easy to learn controls. To me, they’ve always seemed to have so much more soul than the big budget blockbusters, which churn out the same gameplay formulas in a different package month after month after month after…

Journey is one of those games that left me stunned – everything about it is both simple and perfect, intuitive and touching, and interestingly profound. The game itself has a simple premise – you are a wanderer in these desert lands trying to reach the glowing peak in the distance. There is no dialogue to tell you this (nor is there any in the entire game!), but the game gives you that idea by always placing it directly in front of you at the beginning of the game and every level.

Each level has something new to awe you with, whether it be the cloth creatures that inhabit this world, magic to enable you to soar through the air, or the technological monstrosities that wish to devour your magic. Each level ends with a vision while meditating in front of an altar – another of your kind, adorned in a white cloak, shows you the history (and future?) of your people via animated mosaic artwork. I wont talk about what’s shown – not because there are a lot of spoilers there, but because I think the game is meant for the player to interpret the story on his/her own.

Though you are unchallenged by monsters for the majority of the game, about halfway through you meet your quest’s nemesis – a horror of technology that seems to want to destroy anything magic (even going as far as ripping the cloth creatures to shreds). If you’re hit by him, you lose your scarf, your main source of magic, and the ability to soar. It’s actually pretty difficult to be targeted and hit by him until the Summit level (no spoilers!), but once you’re targeted there is no chance of avoidance.

Your main enemy throughout the game seems to be the land itself – wind pushes you around, the cold freezes your scarf and chips away at it, towering structures make it difficult for you to move forward without the aid of the magic of the land, etc. But this enemy is rendered beautifully – the sand, structures, cliffs and creatures of Journey are stunningly gorgeous, utilizing the game’s minimalistic design to its full, eye-pleasing potential.

Journey does have a multiplayer aspect to it, but it operates almost invisibly – you could be playing by yourself one moment and be with a fellow wanderer the next. Since there is no form of communication in the game, the only way to “talk” to one another is by utilizing the magic pings that operate mechanisms within the game. One thing I’ve noticed about this game’s multiplayer, and one of the talking points I always bring up when discussing Journey with friends: while other games have the tendency to play host to over-aggressive 13-year-olds with severe cases of Tourette’s and rudeness, everyone in Journey seems to be a completely pleasant person. Fellow wanderers help out one another, whether that mean waiting for you to catch up, pointing you in the direction of glyph locations or showing you the secrets of the world. What’s more – after a while, you catch yourself doing it too.

And if the graphics and gameplay didn’t get it for you, the music sure did – composed by Austin Wintory, the soundtrack for Journey is among the most beautiful pieces of music that I’ve ever encountered. Incredibly atmospheric and able to invoke the specific emotions that go unsaid throughout the game, the music of Mr. Wintory is one my favorite things about Journey. To top it all off, the soundtrack is available for download in iTunes right now for a measly 5 bucks.

Journey is a game I definitely recommend to everyone, gamer or not. It’s a beautiful experience and deserving the “work of art” label that it seems to be aspiring to. It features a perfect mix of interesting yet simplistic gameplay, gorgeous graphics and atmospheric music that can pull anyone in for the two hours or so that it takes to complete your first trek, and keep them around to complete a few more before moving on.

I’m sure there are about a million blogs about this, but I want to add my two-cents because I’m kind of sick of people overlooking a lot of the things presented in the game.

I don’t get all the Empire hate from Skyrim players. Sure, they’re presented as complete and utter jackasses right from the start (mainly due to you being in a prison cart with a bunch of Stormcloaks, but hey), but as the story goes on you get a clearer picture of what went on at the end of the war against the High Elves and the Empire. My stance is this – the Empire, for better or worse, is the only thing standing between the Aldermi Dominion and the Altmer claiming Skyrim for their own (either in secret or in force). The Stormcloaks are, unknowingly, invoking chaos and disarray that can be very easily taken advantage of, and has in several instances in the years leading up to The Great War.

For fun, let’s recap some of the more curious events leading up to the events unfolding in Skyrim (with help from the fine folks at the Elder Scrolls Wikia)-

During the Oblivion Crisis – the Crystal Tower, a symbol of Elven power on Summerset Isles, is overrun by Daedra and destroyed. As it was also known as the “Crystal-Like-Law”, the Tower represented Altmer power and authority in Summerset, and thus it’s fall was regarded as the death knell of the ruling party.

0 4E – The Thalmor, a political group of Altmer Supremacists, claim the defeat of the Daedra in Summerset Isles. Black Marsh secedes from the Empire.

6 4E – The Argonians of Black Marsh invade Morrowind – rumors float that hostilities were instigated by the Thalmor. (see Skyrim in-game book “Rising Threat” for reference)

Between 16-22 4E – Imperial Potentate Ocato is assassinated after an unsuccessful bid in the Elder Council to elect a new Emperor -  The Stormcrown Interregnum ensues, scattering the remnants of the Elder Council and causing civil war throughout Cyrodiil as many lay claim to the Ruby Throne (sound familiar?)

22 4E – Taking advantage of the chaos and turmoil in the heart of the Empire, the Thalmor seize control of the Summerset Isles and rename the province Alinor – thereby seceding from the Empire. The Thalmor begin purging their land of non-Altmer and other dissidents.

29 4E – The Aldmeri Dominion is officially formed after a union between Valenwood and Alinor after the crowning of Titus Mede I as the Emperor of the Cyrodiilic Empire. All contact between the Aldmeri Dominion and the Empire is severed for 70 years – the Aldmeri are likely plotting their future war with the Empire, or building up their lands (this is a guess by me).

- It is important to note that Valenwood is a Bosmer land, and, according to Legate Justianus Quintius, the government in Valenwood was overthrown by Thalmor collaborators. It is unknown whether the Bosmer of Valenwood welcomed this change or not.

98 4E – The two moons of Nirn, Masser and Secunda, vanish in what is now known as the Void Nights.

100 4E – The moons return, and the Thalmor take credit for their return. (Legate Quintius informs us that the Thalmor claimed to have restored the moons with previously unknown “Dawn Magicks”, but the true nature of the moon’s return is unknown.) The Khajiit claim the Thalmor as their saviors and Imperial influence in the Khajiit homeland of Elsweyr fizzles into non-existence after…

115 4E – … the Elsweyr Confederacy collapses due to coups in both kingdoms simultaneously and the two Khajiit kingdoms of Anequina and Pellentine become client states of the Aldmeri Dominion. (Something fishy went on here – though it isn’t explicitly stated, I think any reasonable person can assume that the Thalmor had a hand in the dual coups within the Confederate kingdoms and their resultant estrangement with the Empire.)

168 4E – Everyone’s favorite Emperor, Titus Mede II, is crowned.

30 Frostfall 171 4E – An Aldmeri ambassador arrives in the Imperial City with a gift and an ultimatum for the new Emperor – this ultimatum included a long list of demands including “staggering tributes, disbandment of the Blades, outlawing the worship of Talos, and ceding large sections of Hammerfell to the [Aldmeri] Dominion.” Mede II refuses this ultimatum (this is important, kids, ‘cause I’ll come back to it a little later), and the Great War officially begins.

171-175 4E – The Great War – in 174 the Aldmeri sack the Imperial City, but Titus Mede II returns a year later in 175 to retake the city in the Battle of the Red Ring, which completely destroys the Aldmeri army in Cyrodiil, making the Empire victorious. However, this is where things get shaky – Mede II sees that the Aldmeri Dominion was in a higher position of power than the Empire (my guess is that the Empire had exhausted its funds and resources, and Legate Quintius backs up this assertion by stating that “not a single Legion had more than half its soldiers fit for duty” and “two legions had been effectively annihilated [at the Battle of the Red Ring”], not counting the loss of the Eighth during the retreat from the Imperial City the previous year”), and it was only a matter of time until the Aldmeri sent more Altmer to utterly destroy the Empire.

- Emperor Titus Mede II initiates the White-Gold Concordat with terms similar to the initial ultimatum offered before the War. Hammerfell, which had been injured greatly during the Great War rejects the terms of the Concordat and secedes from the Empire altogther, opting to battle the Aldmeri on their own.

180 4E – War ends in Hammerfell with the defeat of the Aldmeri Dominion, who completely withdraws from the land after nearly a third of their invasion force is lost in the battles there.

- Imperial lands are still in a state of chaos and ruin, but The Great Reconstruction begins in Cyrodiil, Hammerfell, Valenwood and Morrowind.

- At this stage, the Aldmeri VASTLY overpower the Empire “in terms of military and economy.”

201 4E – High King Torygg of Skyrim is murdered by Ulfric Stormcloak, and the events of “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” including the outbreak of Civil War in Skyrim, unfold.

Alright, so, we’ve summed up the major events leading up to the events of the Civil War between the renegade Stormcloaks, who wish to secede from the Empire and take on the Aldmeri Dominion on their own (much like how Hammerfell did), and the Empire, which wants to ensure the Empire remains strong and unified in the face of the ever-present danger of another war with the Altmer. The question on everyone’s mind is – who’s in the right? Which one of these causes is the most righteous in the bigger picture? Sure, the Stormcloaks look to be in the right from the beginning – I mean, the Empire DID try to kill you, right?

The main argument that I see against the Empire is that it “sold out” the Nords, indeed all humans, when it agreed to the terms of the White-Gold Concordat. What most people don’t know is that the White-Gold Concordat was actually drafted by the Empire itself as a peace treaty with the Aldmeri. The terms were unreasonable and heavily favored the Dominion, and rightfully so – though the Empire smashed the Aldmeri at the Battle of the Red Ring in 175, it exhausted all of its resources and manpower in doing so. Any further attacks by the Aldmeri (and it can be assured that they’d come) would be met with naught but a whimper and maybe a few sissy-stabs by the Empire. So, the Empire did what it had to do to ensure the overall welfare of its inhabitants – it accepted the terms of the ultimatum made to them before the war.

Titus Mede II knew that all the Aldmeri wanted was the list of demands presented in the pre-War ultimatum but, like a good leader and leader of his people, he really, really didn’t want to give it to them until he absolutely had to. And, faced with the eradication of the Empire and the subsequent domination of all of the former provinces, that time had come.

So, yes, the Empire “sold out” the humans to the mer, but only to keep them from total control. This angered quite a lot of people and was widely regarded as a bad move. The terms of the Concordat stipulated that large swaths of southern Hammerfell were to switch to Aldmeri hands, which the Redguard weren’t going to concede to – they seceded from the Empire and took on the Aldmeri on their own. One might guess that the Aldmeri wanted this all along, as the Empire was left with one less province and increasing Imperial resentment among the Redguards.

So, the Redguards of Hammerfell fell by the wayside, and left the Empire even weaker. This makes the fourth province to secede from the Empire in a relatively short span of time, all during the rise of the Thalmor and the Aldmeri Dominion. While it is under debate as to whether the Thalmor orchestrated the inevitable secession of Hammerfell and Black Marsh, it can be assured that they had a hand in their annexing of Valenwood and Elsweyr, both of which were captured via government coups just as the Thalmor sacked their homeland of Summerset Isles/Alinor.

Valenwood, a dominantly Bosmer territory, was overthrown by “Thalmor conspirators” according to Legate Quintius, which inevitably led to the forming of the Aldmeri Dominion. But how did they accomplish this, given the tenuous relationship between Bosmer and Altmer? While these different elven folk never saw eye, there were probably minority groups that wished to rekindle the relationship between the two. And let’s not forget the Imga, the Great Ape people of Valenwood that so revered the Altmer that they shaved their fur and powdered their skin in order to look more like them. Combine a few Aldmeri-sympathetic politician Bosmer with the might of the Imga and all the Thalmor had to do was say, “Go” and Valenwood was theirs.

As for Elsweyr – well, there is nothing explicitly stated that implicates the Thalmor, but one can make the assumption based on the past  – the coup in Valenwood and the sudden attack of the Argonians on the weakened Dunmer of Morrowind (which at least one refugee Altmer believes was instigated by the Thalmor) – that the Thalmor had a method and a plan to dismantle the Empire as much as they could before making their move. The simultaneous coups in the Confederated khajiit kingdoms of Anequina and Pellentine indicate they they were orchestrated in some way, though they culprits are unknown. However, these kingdom’s subsequent annexation as client states by the Aldmeri Dominion points to the Thalmor as having a hand in it.

Skyrim seems to be marching down the same path as these four provinces, and the supporters of the Stormcloaks are doing nothing more than weakening the Empire’s ability to protect it. Sure, the Stormcloaks could be reasoning that if the Aldmeri Dominion decided to make a move on an independent Skyrim, they’d just drive them back like the Redguard of Hammerfell did, but that’s probably wishful thinking – many of the able-bodied men of Skyrim were lost in The Great War, especially the Battle of the Red Ring, in which the main attack force was comprised of Legions of Nord and Cyrodiilian humans, and even more would be lost in the civil war between the Empire and the Stormcloaks.

If Skyrim were to secede and become independent, it would lose what little protection the White-Gold Concordat offers the Empire and its remaining provinces, and severely diminishes the remaining forces of the Imperial Legion. This would reduce the overall effectiveness of the armies of Tamriel to repel the inevitable return of Aldmeri forces, for though those outside the Dominion refer to this conflict as The Great War, Thalmor correspondences within Skyrim reveal that the Thalmor refer to it as “The First War with the Empire”, the practical implication of this being that they plan on at least one more war with the crumbling Imperial nation.

The Empire really is the only thing standing between the Aldmeri Dominion and complete domination of not only Skyrim, but all of Tamriel – sure, mistakes were made, but I believe that the White-Gold Concordat was viewed by those in the high echelon of the Empire as a temporary measure – a hope to get the Empire back on its feet and try to win back the support it lost from the other provinces. I don’t think the Stormcloaks were right in killing an Empire-friendly king. I think Torygg – and now Elisef – knew that now was not a time for more wars, but a time for unity. A divided Empire would be easier for the Aldmeri to conquer, while a unified one would make it a more daunting challenge.

It’s been a really long time since I’ve posted anything of value here, so I thought I’d take the time to share my thoughts on my experience within the Galaxy of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Now, I’m an old WoW player - been playing since a month after release on and off until May of 2011 - when people, not the game, eventually pushed me out of the world of Azeroth for what has become my the longest sabbatical yet. I love MMO games, and have done my best to keep up with the genre, try out whatever I can (even those weird free ones), and see if anything stacks up against the venerable but virile offering from Blizzard. Sure, it’s unfair to gauge everything against WoW, but how can you not? It’s come to the point that everyone is merely copying the Blizzard formula, and then tossing in their own bits and bobs of lore and storytelling.

I really wish that I could say that Star Wars: The Old Republic was any different - but it’s not. I’ve been playing for quite a while now; I did a few beta test weekends, and was in on the first day of Early Access to begin working on my Gunslinger. For a while, it was a magical experience - the introduction of the full voice acted conversation system was such a welcome experience that one tended to look past the pratfalls of the game. But after a bit, the honeymoon is over and you suddenly realize what you’ve gotten yourself into: a less colorful, more science-y version of World of Warcraft in which the quest text shouts at you in an array of odd languages.

Now, I don’t want to give the impression that I’m dogging on the story here, because I’m not. BioWare has diligently and faithfully created a compelling Star Wars universe in which every planet you encounter has a “thing” that needs done, and many smaller “things” that lead up to it in an extraordinary feat of storytelling. You do feel that you are making an actual difference in the galaxy when you stop the World Razer from returning, or ensure the thing under the sands of Tatooine doesn’t fall into the Empire’s hand (I play Republic, what can I say?), but after a while the conversations that lead into and out of these quests seems tedious, repetitive and time-consuming. While each of the classes has their own script of dialogue, one-liners and affirmative/negative responses are often repeated so often that I’m entirely surprised someone hasn’t started a meme in the same vein as the “Arrow to the Knee” crap. As a Smuggler, I’ve heard the phrases “I wasn’t planning on living forever - I’m in” and “I would do it blindfolded just for fun” so many times that I feel like kicking a Jawa into a sarlacc pit.

The conversations do have their upsides, though: in true BioWare fashion, your companion characters have affection ratings to show how well they like you, and some of them can even be romanced (straight relationships only at the moment, though from what I understand gay and lesbian stuff is being worked in for future patching). This does actually have a purpose, as a companion that likes you better will perform their crew skills more efficiently and often return enhanced or more powerful results when crafting or gathering items.

The Crew Skill system is kind of a double-edged sword for me: I love that you don’t have to sit and actively do it yourself, as that gives me more time to go questing, engage in (often boring) conversations or run instances (called Flashpoints in the Galaxy). On the other hand though, things aren’t crafted in short order like they would in World of Warcraft; many items take upwards of a half-an-hour to craft at the higher levels, and I can only imagine that as more crafting recipes become available via patches and expansions that the times will increase and increase until it will inevitable take a full day to craft a single item. Gathering skills have their caveats as well. While you still have the option to go out into the Galaxy and gather resources the ol’ fashioned way, many players elect to send out companions to do it for them - for a hefty fee. Higher level gathering missions cost 1000 credits or more, and occasionally the companions will fail - meaning you shucked out a grand of dough for diddly. The Mission skills suck up more money than one can reasonably make without actively engaging in the auction house, as there is no option to level up that skill on your own - they’re for companions only, and often the most expensive to max out.

Not only that, but most of the crafting skills become nigh pointless at max level. Sure, Armormech or Armstech may have helped out out while leveling up, but once you hit 50 there are no more recipes to learn and a ton of items that can easily replace ANYTHING that you crafted. While it’s normal for most of the crafted items to be less powerful than the ones you can get from raids and heroic instances, I’ve never encountered a game where the crafting skill becomes literally useless - everything crafted can be replaced by other items quickly and on the cheap, either by Warzone Commendations or Heroic Instances that take at max an hour to accomplish (if those in the party are the “hit-the-spacebar-to-skip-dialogue” type, as so many are. Hell, even at lower level most of the items that you can craft are replaced by quest rewards faster than the time it takes to craft the item.

Playing as a lower level character is pretty fun -at first. I had a great time taking my character through the story (save for the repetitive conversations) the first go around, but when it came time to make that alt … let’s just say that I was less than enthusiastic about having to go back through all of those conversations and Coruscant quests again, not to mention Taris and Tatooine (that planet is hell). Sure, playing a different starting planet was cool and all, but that only lasts for the couple of hours it takes one to get to Level 10. In principle it’s not much different than rerolling any other character in any other MMO, except that you have to go through the same conversations again, over and over and over and over until you want to tell Rik Deleru to go get his own damn mate back and stop bothering Jedi with useless banter. Which you could do anyway if you were Dark Siding it up.

Over the past few days, I’ve been doing what I’ve been trying not to do - weighing it against World of Warcraft. And maybe it’s just me and my years of Mage-y goodness, but it seems to be falling short. To me, Star Wars: The Old Republic feels like an over-engineered version of World of Warcraft. It has the same UI and  nearly identical system and game mechanics with the addition of lines and lines and hours and hours of conversations, a kinda-good-kinda-not crafting system and futuristic weaponry (or ancient weaponry, depending on your point of view). It’s come to the point that I’ve started to miss the aging MMO, something that I had sworn to others that I would never do.

When I started writing this, I didn’t intend on burning Star Wars. It is, for all intents and purposes, a great game that I will continue to play for a while longer. I’m hoping that whatever this is that’s making me want to play WoW again is nostalgia, but if it turns out to be more, to be a longing for the simplicity and familiarity of Azeroth, then I will bid adieu to the Galaxy and return to my old stomping grounds.

Larfleeze is one creepy son-of-a-bitch.

Seriously, he’s one of the best villains that I’ve ever read. He’s not evil - it’s not like he’s out to destroy all of the Universe or whatever like the Black Lanterns are - he’s just possessive, and greedy, and cursed with an unquenchable desire to want, to need, to desire everything that everyone else has.

It’s just part of who he is - he literally can’t control his craving because of the Orange Light of the Light of Avarice. One of its side-effect is the insatiable hunger for MORE. What “more” is really depends on the one wielding the light.

That’s also a key detail - there’s only ever a single person wielding the Orange Light, because Agent Orange doesn’t want to share. Hell, he CAN’T share, even if he did want to because the Light doesn’t want him to. The best part about this is that he STILL has a Corps - an assembly of various fighters to battle in the name of Avarice. Who are they? Why, they’re the stolen identities of those killed by the Larfleeze, made into orange constructs and controlled by Agent Orange and the Power Battery that he so greedily keeps with him wherever he goes.

That’s disturbing. What’s more is that it’s a little too similar to the effects of the Black Lantern rings to be comfortable - Agent Orange, in essence, resurrects the dead and inducts them into his Corps, much like the Black Lantern Corps does. The only difference is that the Orange Lantern is just a construct - not physical, yet still retains personality - unlike the rotting corpses of the Black Lantern Corps.

I really hope that Johns and DC use Larfleeze to great extent in the coming reboot - I want to see more of this guy.