Doncha just hate ads?

Sorry about having them here for a short while folks. Vegas ate me alive in terms of cash flow, so until I can get some moneys back in my accounts, we're stuck with them.

There was a day when I'd get so pissed off about them, I plotted to destroy all advertising agencies. I hated seeing them everywhere I looked. Highway billboards, littered all over the streets, on the metro, interrupting the tv shows I watched, obstructing the websites I was going to. Hell, I even tried keeping my eyes closed for three days so I wouldn't have these fucking ads pushed into my brain. I gave up that trick after I grabbed the breast of the sixty-something year old gal working behind the register as I was reaching for change. She still calls me. Nice gal, that Buela.

Be that as it may, ads don't bother me as much as they used to. Particularly internet advertising. Most sites are getting quite good at advertising only what their readers would be interested in. Take TTH for example. I can turn off the ads there on my account, but I choose not to, because the ads are actually things I'm interested in - game trials, free in-game items, beta keys. Google ads on various sites are usually pretty good too, because they use key words from the page you're viewing. Granted, that often means lots of gold selling stuff, but I've found some interesting bits there too - like 1001 different ways to prepare SPAM (this one popped up when I was reviewing my SPAM folder in gmail).

So, yeah. The ads on this site don't need to be there, and they won't be come next month, but my point being that I think I've become hardened to in-your-face advertising, and am now plump pickins as a consumer for ad agencies. Bring em on. I'll click.

Poor Protect was out farming up some rubashi today, and he kept getting his rubashi stolen. Now, no one likes a carrot thief, but this isn't an isolated issue. Carrots everywhere have been nabbed by the masses, and there's no end in sight.

So the real question becomes: "How much is too much?" How many players crammed into an area is too many to be uncomfortable? There's definitely a satisfaction in seeing a well-populated game, but sometimes it can start to feel a little crowded, and more like a mosh pit than an MMO.

I suspect crowds will start to dwindle out now, as some leave the game, and the level spread grows. This should alleviate the problem. But until then, I guess it's every man for his own veggies.

Ok, I admit that sometimes I'm quick to draw the gun. But sometimes it serves me well. I'm also one to acknowledge when I've made a mistake (all two times it's happened) and this is one of those times.

Last month I *may* have alluded slightly to a mild possibility that Champions Online may not be a game suited for everyone. I *might* have accidentally given the impression that it was a poorly fashioned game. It's *possible* that I could have inadvertently suggested that anyone that played it was a "moron."

If you gleaned that from what I wrote, I apologize.

This past weekend I decided to give the game another go. This time I spent a good few hours creating my character. I've always loved dwarf paladins, and I'd be damned if I was going to let a game tell me I couldn't have one. Thus, The Dwarf Paladin was born in Champions Online.

That one simple act changed the game for me. Suddenly I felt much more at home in the game, as it was now on familiar territory. I drudged my way through the intro quests (which I still stand by the opionion that they're lacking) and made my way to the real game.

This time, I was impressed. The game was fun. So much fun, in fact, that I ended up spending a good 8 hours over the weekend playing it. I started liking the controls, started enjoying the story, started appreciating the environments and graphics, and started loving the combat. More importantly, I was enthralled with my character. He was the Dwarf Paladin. He was mine, and he was fun.

So, I retract my earlier allusions. It just goes to show that under the right circumstances, and in the right context, almost any game can be fun once you find your niche.

Preorders can now access the game to create their characters, and early access begins this Sunday. We've got a small group heading in around 3 or 4pm EST on the Lumiel server, so be sure to look us up.

It's unknown at this point if we'll bother with guild creation or not. I guess we'll give it a few play sessions before we decide if it's something we're going to stick with for any length of time.

But, I do love a fresh new game, if nothing else, to explore a new world and play with new pretty graphics. See yas there!

Welcome to the Apocalypse.

Traditionally, I'm not one for MMOFPS games. They usually suck. Tabula Rasa anyone?

And, it's a little early to tell with Fallen Earth but I have tried it out today for a couple hours. Once you get used to the controls, it's really quite a cool game. Now, granted, I've only played through the intro levels, which are always well polished. I can't speak for the end game, nor can I even speak for how the game plays after a week or two. What I CAN say, though, is that it's definitely worth checking out.

Good news here: you can check it out free. It's in Open Beta right now, so there are still a few more days to try it out. So, go here and grab yourself a key.

It's a good mix of MMO with FPS so far. It's not bleeding edge graphics as you would see in a single player FPS, but that's to be expected with MMOs. It really plays well as a shooter if you go into first person view. Alternatively you can do over-the-shoulder and traditional MMOG 3rd person view. Storyline is pretty good too. There are even "mounts" in the game. The intro will have you racing a four wheeler through the under tunnels of Hoover Dam in no time. Give it a whirl, and let us know what you think.