A Poor Girl's Guide to Free MMOs

In a time where people are counting every penny that they spend, one would think that the world of MMORPGs is now off limits to geeks and gamers (as well as weekly trips to the comic book shop, but that's not the subject of this musing). On average, the majority of MMOs charge around $14.99 a month in order for you to escape into their world of virtual fantasy. Now, before the current economic crisis of our country, that $14.99 a month wasn't really that big a deal. Sure, you might grumble about it a little as you paid it, but that period of grumbling soon vanished once you were immersed in the game--leaving behind the pitfalls, boredom and repetition of your every-days lives. Once in the game, you are no longer Joe or Jane Schmoe...instead, you are a cutthroat rogue, a righteous paladin, or a basass mage who could not only amass renown within the game's world, but also wealth. You could be a human, dwarf, and elf, a gnome, or any other race a particular game offered, and not only could you be part of a guild and experience all the camaraderie that comes with it, but you can also own a home and decorate it however you wish.

The point is that in these games, you can be anything and anyone that you can imagine, and do things that you would and could never do in real life...so long as you pay the monthly fees.

However, because of crappy the state of the economy, it would seem that fewer geeks are able to shell out the nearly $15 fee on a monthly basis--choosing to instead put that money towards more necessary things like food and rent. In light of this, the gods of Geekdom have smiled down upon us and because several MMOs now offer 'free-to-play' options. Naturally, after having gone through an MMO dry-spell for quite a few years, you can imagine my excitement and finally being able to play again.

However, all of that being said, some of these free options are not worth the time that is involved in the downloading of the game whereas others are. I know this from personal experience, and I thought it would be a good idea to share those experiences with you here and now. Now, I know you're probably thinking that beggers can't be choosers, but when it comes to MMOs, I beg to differ because we MMO geeks should never have to sacrifice quality.

EverQuest 2

EQ2 was the very first MMO I ever played, and it still holds a very special place in my heart. The gameplay was superior, and I have yet to find a guild in any other game that has the same chemistry and dynamic as the guild I belonged to when I was still a paying subscriber. With this in mind, naturally, it pains me to talk badly about EQ2 in any way shape or form...but in this case, it's necessary.

The free-to-play option is a complete waste of time.

The fact that it is free to download is no saving grace. Not only are you limited to what races or classes you can play (certain races and classes are available only to paying players), but you're also not allowed to join a guild or directly message any specific player. As though those faults weren't irritating enough, there's also the constant annoyance of message boxes popping up in the middle screen and prompting you to become a paying player. These boxes would pop up at random and even while you were in the middle of a battle which could be quite the hindrance.

Suffice to say, I uninstalled  the game after only two hours of playing it (though it took me a good 12 hours to download the game in the first place), and as a result, I would strongly recommend against giving EQ2's free-to-play option a second glance.

World of Warcraft

Compared to EQ2, WoW's free-to-play option is an improvement right out of the gate (as evidenced by my playing it for a few months as opposed to only a few hours). Firstly, all the races and classes are available to be played, and there are no annoying pop-up messages prompting you to upgrade to a paid account.

However, despite those good points, there are negatives. Like with EQ2, you're not allowed to join a guild, and you're unable to directly message any specific player (unless he or she messages you first). You're also only able to take your avatar to lvl 20 before you stop earning XP. Now, at first thought the leveling issue doesn't seem so bad. After all, once you max out one character, you can simply create a new one and start over, right?

That was my first thought.

But that gets boring very quickly...especially if you're playing the same race more than once as this would involve you repeating the same quests over and over again. Add to this the fact that you're playing alone because you're unable to join a guild, and WoW's free-to-play option grows very boring very quickly. As the type of player who gets very attached to my avatars, it wasn't fun for me to have to stop advancing them after putting so much time and effort into them, but I realize that there are other gamers out there who are not like that. If you're that kind of gamer, then I would recommend playing the game. It's free to download, so you have nothing to lose. However, if you're like me and do in fact get attached to your avatars, then I would recommend passing by WoW's free-to-play option.

Perfect World:

There is more than one MMO in the Perfect World family (Shaiya, Perfect World International, Jade Dynasty, etc), and they are all free to download and play. I have personally played both Perfect World International as well as Jade Dynasty, and my reaction to both of them was...well, meh. Yes, the graphics were pretty and the avatars were cute (everything is done in a very anime/Final Fantasy style), and you're allowed to join guilds, but for me it lacked plot as well as character development. That, and there were certain quests/ranks, etc that you could only unlock upon having your avatar marry someone elses avatar. I also found that these games were mostly geared for PVE (player v environment) and PVP (player v player) gameplay instead of focusing on real plot-driven quests, and as an avid RPer, that was a major buzz-kill for me.

If you're into MMOs strictly for PVP environments, then by all means check out any of the Perfect World games. If you're like me and prefer MMOs that are more plot-driven, then steer clear.

Guild Wars:

Aside from having to pay for the initial purchase of the game and any expansions (the purchase of which can either be done in a store or on line), there are no other fees involved with this particular MMO. There is no monthly fee whatsoever, and there's also two servers--one specifically for PVP and one that more for role-players. There are several classes that you can choose from, and you can customize your avatar however you please.

I would recommend this game to anyone. In fact, the only reason I stopped playing was because for all of my searching, I simply could not find a guild in which I felt at home.

Lord of the Rings Online:

Now free to play, this game is free to download, and it is the perfect game for die-hard LOTR fans. The story lines are very in depth, and make you feel as though you're actually walking through Middle Earth. You're able to play as either human, elf, hobbit or dwarf, and all but 2 classes are available to players who play for free. Certain items in the game have to be purchased by way of Turbine Points (which you can either acquire by completing quests or by purchasing them), but as these items are  simply extra perks (like horses for you to ride whenever you want) your gaming experience is by no means hampered if you decide not to get them.

You're able to join guilds (or rather Kinships, as they're called in the game), though unlike with EQ2, there is no list of guilds and their descriptions that you can read and then ask to join after finding one that you feel would be the best fit for you. You can only join a kinship if you happen to see one being advertised in the general chat room and then messaging the Kinship leader and asking for an invite. You can buy homes (though you need to accumulate a LOT of in-game coin in order to do so, and you're also allowed to develop various crafting skills (weaponsmithing, tailoring, etc). You're able to customize how your avatar looks. Also, throughout the course of the game, your avatar comes to interact with cannon characters from the Tolkien novels and help them along in their quests and missions.

All in all, I would highly recommend this game to gamers who prefer plot-driven environments. The only reason I stopped playing was because (as with Guild Wars) for all my searching, I could not find a guild in which I felt at home.

Dungeons & Dragons Online:

This is the game I am currently playing, and I have to say that I love it! As with Lord of the Rings Online, it's run by Turbine, and is free to download as well as free to play. Because it's derived from D&D, it's completely character/plot-driven which is what I love. Because it's run by the same company that runs LOTRO, you once again have to deal with Turbine points. But, as with LOTRO, the items that you needs points in order to purchase are not necessary purchases but more extraneous fluff, and those items that are necessary for quests are always inexpensive and well within the amount of Turbine points that you are given upon creating an account.

As with LOTRO, you can't browse the various guilds and have to wait to see one being advertised before you can ask to join. My only real complaint is the fact that it takes so long for your character to level up, but because that's the way it is in actual tabletop-style D&D, I got over it very quickly. Because I've only recently started playing, I don't yet know if you can save up to purchase an in-game home, but I'm assuming that it's possible.

All in all, I would highly recommend this game to anyone.

The Government and the Hippies are at it Again...

Every so often, my musings will veer off the roads to Geeksburg and Nerdhaven and go down the road to Politicalville. So...sorry, my fellow geeks and nerds, but this is going to be one of those musings. Actually...it's more along the lines of a rant, because the government and the hippies are at it again and I'm just about at my breaking point.

First of all (and I know it's been a while since this particular instance happened, but it still irks me and is therefore worth mentioning in this post), San Francisco goes and outlaws the Happy Meal. That's right, people...in the city of San Francisco, it is illegal to sell/buy/enjoy a Happy Meal at MacDonald's. Why, you may ask? Because the hippies bitched, complained and protested that the children of today were fatty-fat-fat-fat, and those hippies brought this issue to a hippy with enough power to pass one of the most unnecessary and stupid laws that have ever been passed. This law was passed in order to discourage feeding children junk food and thereby reduce the rate of child obesity.

As with anything (including Communism) the idea looks good on paper. However, the actual practice of it can be poked full of holes until it looks like Swiss Cheese.

That stupid law isn't going to cut down on child obesity because people can just go out of the city limits (let's say they're going to Big Bear or Mammoth for some skiing, or they're going to visit grandma) and get a Happy Meal along with other travel-convenient and ready-made meals to eat on the road. So much for the law in that respect. But then there's also the very real possibility of Happy Meal-aged children now being forced to eat from the big person's menu which consists of BIGGER portions.

So...HOW exactly does that retarded law cut down on child obesity?

Seriously, people...it's called common sense. INVEST IN SOME!!

However, that law is not the foundation of this musing rant, but rather the law that was recently passed in West Hollywood after the hippies and PETA-freaks bitched and complained until they once again got their way (by the way, have you noticed that all these retarded laws are being passed in California? Seriously...if there was ever a reason for my husband an I to move away...(never mind the fact that our state's economy is completely down the toilet, but that's not the subject of this post)). The law to which I'm referring is animal-related. In the city of West Hollywood, it is now illegal to not only de-claw your cat, but it is also illegal to even buy or sell cats and dogs. Forget going to breeders to get your fancy-schmancy, show-quality cats and dogs. Forget going to your local Petco or Petsmart on the weekends in order to adopt a homeless cat or dog. If you were to do any of this within the city limits of West Hollywood, you would be breaking the fucking law.

But this is only part of the animal-related law.

In the city of West Hollywood, it is now illegal to buy or sell animal-fur products. That means no more ducking into your favorite boutiques to buy fur coats or leather of any kind whether it be shoes, wallets, belts, jackets, pants, corsets, hats or purses. Looks like stores that cater to the Kink community will be taking a massive hit, but who cares about people and their needs?

Did you not get the memo?

People don't matter anymore...animals are the only ones that matter in this day and age.

Now don't get me wrong. I love animals. I grew up with a household full of pets, and I have several cats (one of which is even curled up in my lap as I'm typing this current musing) whom I love dearly and spoil within an inch of their lives. I'm personally not allowed to go to pet stores by myself on the weekends because my husband fears that I will come home with a puppy or another cat. I also don't go around wearing real fur coats. All of my fur coats are fake. Now, all of this behavior of mine does not mean that I'm a PETA-freak...not by any means.

Are you kidding me?

I LOVE meat. Meat is food!!

Besides, I Personally HATE PETA because they're fucking evil and insane. You don't believe me? Watch the PETA episode of Season 2 of 'Penn & Teller's: Bullshit'...I'm not kidding when I say that it will blow your minds!

While I refuse to wear real fur, I have no problem whatsoever in the wearing of leather. When it comes to the wearing of animal products, I take more of a Native American stand on things. I don't believe that an animal should be hunted solely for its pelt while its carcass is left to rot somewhere. I believe that all of the animal should be used...as in the case of cows. All of the cow is used and nothing goes to waste. Their meat is used to feed us, their hides are used to clothe us, their poop is used to grow fruits and vegetables that also go towards feeding us, and I'm sure that their bones are used for things too (even if it's just to supply the western-cow skull decorating motif. Because I know that the cow was not simply killed to create my leather jacket, I thereby have no problems wearing it.

But my personal beliefs and practices when it comes to animals or even the Happy Meal are not the driving forces behind this musing. Rather, it is the fact that the government is once again sticking its big, fat nose into matters that don't concern it. Never mind trying to so solve the economic crisis or fixing roads that need to be fixed, or seeing that public schools get the necessary books and supplies that they need.

You know...issues that actually matter?!

Who cares about those issues when people are de-clawing their cats in order to ensure the longevity of their furniture because they currently can't afford to replace it once the cat has shredded it to bits? Who cares about the dwindling of our education system when there's villainous people on the loose wearing leather belts and jackets? Who cares about the state of our economy when Joe or Josephine Average are looking to adopt a cute puppy or kitten?

What's next?

The outlawing of spaying and neutering your pets?

The outlawing of any fabric that isn't plant-based?

Seriously...the government needs to back the fuck off and focus on things that actually do matter in the grand scheme of things. They should focus on helping those who are in desperate need of their intervention by fixing the economic crisis so that these people are able to find jobs (and incidentally keep them because the current and crappy state of the economy isn't forcing their employers to downsize and thereby lay them off) and thereby be able to feed and clothe their families and not have to worry about how they're going to keep a roof over their heads or where their next meal will come from.

You know...THE MAJORITY!!!

The government needs to stop listening to the senseless complaining of the privileged few who have nothing else to complain about except for petty fashion statements and food choices of other people who have nothing to do with them. The government needs to listen to the voices of the people who actually NEED their help!

But, that would make too much sense, wouldn't it?

Why would the government care about unemployed people (the majority) being denied the unemployment checks that they rightfully deserve when they can pass stupid laws that cater to the self-absorbed and privileged few (the minority) that actually have money to burn?

That would just be too much like right, wouldn't it?

So yeah...I'm just going to come out and say it.

As a society...we are all completely and totally doomed.

Further proof that Zombies are inferior

First of all...

WOOT! 1451 hits to my blog! Thank you all SO much! You are all so full of win and deserve a belly full of cookies!

Now then...

As you may remember from one of my previous posts in which I pondered and speculated over how and why people are so fascinated/enthralled/excited by zombies. If you may recall, I championed the superiority of werewolves and vampires over the shambling, decomposing horde that many speculate will one day take over the world.

Although in the event of that, I'll finally get some use out of my katana...so zombies beware!!

In any case, getting back to the subject of this particular rambling of mine....vampires are far superior to zombies, and this time I actually have proof!

Now, I don't know if anyone else out there watches the show Deadliest Warrior, but during the recent season finale, vampires were pitted against zombies, and it was the vampires that emerged victorious. Throughout the course of the episode, the crew did a series of tests and live-action simulations (it's actually really cool how they did it...even if you take no interest in two undead races duking it out, at least check the episode out for the science involved in creating real-life simulations) in order to gather the necessary data they needed in order to input it all into the computer which would then compute 5,000 (that's right, 5,000, and all to ensure that every possible scenario and factor is covered) scenarios and outcomes based on all the data gathered.

As the shows team does with all of their episodes, they had experts for each opposing side. One the vampire side, they had none other than Steve Niles (writer of both the comic series as well as the movie 30 Days of Night). On the side of the zombies, they had none other than Max Brooks (the author of The Zombie Survival Guide, World War Z: Oral History of the Zombie War). Like any writer worth his or her salt, both of these men had obviously done their research into their creatures of choice, and as a result were able to provide the necessary information for both constructing and conducting the real-life tests.

Because the show's team had to factor in the superhuman strength and speed of the vampires against the sheer numbers found within a zombie horde, the final simulation pitted 3 vampires against 189 zombies.

Being the avid vampire fan that I am, I was immediately on the side of the fanged ones. After all, not only do vampires have superhuman strength and speed on their side, but they're brains are also still functioning--thereby allowing them to make calculated moves in a battle. Don't get me wrong though, despite all my cheerleading for the vampire team right off the bat, even I can admit that there were a few instances in which I nearly started chomping on my nails (gives props to my willpower for not falling back on my nervous habit!). I could see from the beginning that it was going to be a close battle, and for a split second I actually thought that I had backed the wrong team and that I would have to be subjected to my hubby's 'I told you so' dance (he was on the side of the zombies). When I say it was a close battle, I mean it was close with a capital C.

Only 1 of the 3 vampire was left standing by the end of the battle.

In the end, it had been the combination of the vampire's superhuman speed and strength that proved to be the saving grace amidst the mindless, fearless and seemingly never-ending hoard.

So there you have it...

VAMPIRES RULE!!

You don't believe me? Go ahead and click on the link below so you can check out the proof for yourself. Go on, I dare ya!  ;)

Deadliest Warrior: Zombies vs Vampires

Why, George Lucas? WHY?!?!?

Okay, seriously...WHAT the FRAKK?!

It would appear that George Lucas is going back and tweaking the original trilogy yet AGAIN!!

For those of you who have not yet heard, George Lucas in his "infinite" wisdom has decided that it is now necessary for both the plot as well as the quality of the film that now has Darth Vader shout "No" as he's throwing Emperor Palpatine down the chasm during that scene near the end of Return of the Jedi. Why? Seriously, WHY?!?!? The act of Vader throwing his dark master down the chasm is a timeless scene that is forever ingrained within the memories of all fanboys and fangirls alike.

Why?

Because it is the ultimate depiction of good taking a steadfast stand against evil.

As such, that scene requires no extra "garnishing" or what you in order to make it better. Why? Because the scene can't get any better. Let me repeat that for those of you who didn't hear (and who knows, maybe George will actually hear me scream), THE SCENE CAN'T GET ANY BETTER!!!!

WHY does George Lucas insist on going back and fixing things that DON'T need to be fixed?! He didn't need to go back into the original trilogy and add all of the CGI crap that he added. He didn't need to go back and make it so Gweedo shot first, and don't even get me started on his swapping out Sebastian Shaw (the original ghost of Anakin Skywalker) for frakking Hayden Christensen at the end of Return of the Jedi!

The original trilogy was perfectly fine the way it was. No, I take that back. It was PERFECT the way it was! Forget fine, it was PERFECT!! It didn't need any of the stuff the Lucas added.

Here's an idea...

How about instead of going back into the movies that made him a billionaire and tweaking them, why doesn't George Lucas turn his attention to...oh, I don't know...making something NEW?! Granted, it may never be on par with something as memorable as Star Wars, but it would still be something new that would allow Star Wars a small moment of reprieve.

You don't see James Cameron going back in and tweaking the Terminator movies or Titanic or the Alien movies, do you? No, because he knows that they are memorable just as they are. He knows that they can't be improved upon because they are classics that are beloved  by many.

You don't see Steven Spielberg going in and tweaking Jaws or the Indiana Jones movies, do you? No, because again, he knows they are classic and memorable just as they are. Granted, Indiana Jones: Temple of the Crystal Skull was an atrocity that should NEVER have been made, but at least Spielberg turns his attention to making other films instead of fixating on something that should be left alone.

So again...WHY does George Lucas feel the compulsive need to "fix" things that don't need to be fixed?

It honestly boggles my mind. I cannot for the life of me figure it out.

Is it me, or does he seemed bound and determined to destroy the very franchise that made him the legend that he is in the first place?

ARGH!!

That's all I have left to say on the subject.

Just...ARGH!!!!