Joey_the_mad26

I think the Devs over at DCUO really knocked this one out of the park with thier casting of Gina Torres as Wonder Woman. Her voice fits the mold of the Icon perfectly. Strength, Intelligence, Poise, Grace, and Authority. Anyone who dedicated thier time to Firefly knows Gina could pull those attributes off with ease. Despite being damn proud of SOE for holding back on the launch of DCUO for more Beta and fine tuning, seeing amazing Vids like this makes the wait painful. The first-time I hear Gina's Wonder Woman calling me for help on a mission or giving me a "Well done." I admit, I'm going to Nerd-Out, just a bit.

As someone who recently lost his job for complete Bull**** reasons (and I'm not saying that to be bitter. The reason was a complete smoke screen. If I had f***ed up a great job I would be happy to admit it so that others would not make the same mistake) my heart goes out to EA Louse, and I hope he is able to recover quickly in a gaming industry where jobs have always been hard to come by even with a solid background in development skills. However, his bash on BioWare/LucasArt's forthcoming The Old Republic reeked of a shameless attack, possibly based on the fact that he applied for a position at Austin, and was refused.

For anyone who has been following TOR closely, of course there are concerns, both on our side as well as theirs; but the people behind this game (some even coming off of SWG/WAR and having seen first hand what nearly killed or flat out killed those game) are not going to permit the same mistake to be made regardless of who is supposedly at the top of the development team food chain. On top of that, LucasArts is paying close attention to this project (they have a hell of a lot coin wrapped up in this project too) and it's not likely they are going to permit the same half-assed, in fighting mayhem that EA Louse says occurred during the production and later launch of WAR. There's simply too much riding on this project, for everyone, to let this game fall flat on it's face.

Will it be the often prophesied "WoW Killer?" Even as a Die-Hard Star Wars fan, I think not. Honestly, I don't think any MMO planned for release in the next few years will topple the King on the Hill. They just finished reaching 12 million subs and Cataclysm hasn't even launched yet. And where-as the release of TOR will draw a lot of WoW blood to the game, those players will not likely completely quit WoW cold turkey, even to play TOR.

To close, to anyone saying TOR will fail completely? You're either incredibly myopic, delusional, or such a WoW-Fanatic that you want any perceived "Threat" to WoW to die, and die quickly. The Old Republic's game play from what we've seen is solid, the story and character elements are rich, and, most importantly, unlike WAR, the PvP elements are integrated very well but not forced down anyone's throats. Battlegrounds, basically. To me, I think it's a given that TOR will net EA/BioWare/LA a strong profit, at least enough to warrant the coin spent on the development, and over time will become a strong presence in the MMO market. Will it topple Warcraft? Again...I don't believe it will. But, will it Fail in the same spectacular fashion as WAR? Don't count on it, despite how much you might hate EA, BioWare, or Star Wars.

No, that's isn't what he meant. The "New Krypton" arch (which I was not a fan of by the by) was simply used as an example of *how* so many new Super-Powered beings could appear and have it fit in DCU continuity. However, like NekoAli pointed out this game will not have a tie in to the "Main/Canon" DCU, though it will be getting it's own Comic that will incorporate events in the game. Think of this as one of the alternate earths. Earth-121 or something.

As to the IAMBATMAN69 thing? The have already mentioned in one of the Dev interviews that there will be steps taken to ensure that you can *not* make a Hero/Villian that looks identical to an already established Hero/Villian. They will have the "Inspired" system (I believe it's called) in the Character creator where your constume is influenced by, say, The Batman but you don't look like a clone. Also, names will have restrictions. So, don't count on seeing IAMBATMAN69 running around. And, honestly, that's something I'm thankful for. It might seem entertaining to some, but I think that kind of silliness is for a Child's game, not an MMO set in the DCU. Just my opinion, of course.

If you've watched the Trailer closely, and listened to some of the other Dev Interviews they have posted, you'll know that what defeats the Heroes of the DCU in the end is simply *not* having enough Meta-humans or other Hero types to survive both Luthor's World War coupled with Braniac. In that Trailer, when Superman dies, that was it. He was the last Hero.

Part of future Luthor's new plan to prevent Braniac from taking Earth is to help the Justice League create new Heroes to stand against himself in the current Timeline. He understands the depth his past self will go through to fulfill his machinations, especially since it's hinted that Braniac is there, pulling the strings to ensure the victory we see in the Trailer.

Lastly, as a DCU fan I know this whole game takes place in an alternate timeline/universe which, as a fan, is a concept that had become well established in the DCU even before '52' and Crisis. I look at it from that perspective and nothing seems out of place.

@Lateris: As far as I know, it is not. Though, given SOE's commitment to bringing alot of thier larger MMOs to the console, i.e. DCUO and The Agency, there's a good chance the game might get ported if it brings them in a good deal of revenue. There's a rumor they've been working to bring over Free Realms, so...

But, in anycase, as much as I want to jump into this (the Beta was outstanding) I'm going to wait for 'em to iron out a few small kinks and let the populations even out. Given that the new Season of TCW starts this week, the game is likely to get filled to bursting. So, once things mellow some, and some patches get added, this will be a great way to kill an hour or so now and again. It's no Huge MMO, but the games are a freaking blast, and the item store options are pretty damn cool and not all that expensive. You can even earn credits for buying store items through the mini-games, so it's a win/win.

Hope everyone at least gives the game a try before jumping on the Hater Wagon; and if you supposedly *have* tried the game and didn't like it, that's fine. Just don't highlight how little you have in your life by flamming *every* Article here on Massively about how them much the game "Sux." It's not going to be eveyone's Cup 'O Tea; but, for what it offers, it does a pretty damn good job whether you're a Young SW fan or someone who's been around since '77.

To be Honest, aside from Clone Wars Adventures to satiate the Star Wars nerd in me (until TOR) I don't have an interest in any of the other titles mentioned, nor the F2P market as a whole. Everquest 2 Extended is a lesson in frustration, with even the most basic accesories (spelling?) off limits outside of the cash shop. Even Korean based MMOs offer more from the get go.

However, speaking of Korean MMOs, Prius looks pretty damn interesting, I must say. After going online and doing what homework I could (most comprehensive sites and blogs covering the game are either in Korean or Japanese) it really seems like the game stands far above the normal Asian f2p grind fest. Yes, to trully become great at the game one must dip into the cash shop, that's always a given with these titles unless you play alongside an incredibly generous Guild; but the mechanics of the Anima companion are complex and almost completely unrestricted. Yes, sadly, this game drove a couple to neglect thier real children and others, but that's a very unique and extreme case.

From what I was able to read outright and glean elsewhere, it's incredibly immersive, providing an emotional connection and story elements somewhat akin to what BioWare is doing with TOR, i.e. trying to make it more about story and experiences than one mob crawl after another. Others have voiced concern that gPotato butchered Allods but I can't agree with that outright. I will say they augmented the game to better appeal to Western markets and players and it back-fired somewhat, but the game as it stands is still a great experience for what it does. With Prius, I don't think much needs to be changed to appeal to Western players, especially those who are all about immersion through characters and story. It's got my attention, to say the least.

Still, the majority of the new F2P market remains a poor choice in my eyes. Triple-A Western based MMO should maintain the subscription mind-set, even if EQII-Ext and LOTRO does well with this new direction. I'd much rather pay fifteen dollars a month to get all the bells and whistles and new content without having to go shopping for it every twenty seconds.

I can see there are a few detractors, and that's sad, though not unexpected. Firstly, to compare this game with WoW or any other Triple-A MMO is not a very intelligent thing to do. SOE has made it clear this is more of a Social Center game then a MMO in the style of SWG or TOR. When you think about it, the mechanics of CWA makes alot of sense.

Despite Free Realms having been embraced by a broad age market, TCW series is mostly tailored towards the younger fans of the Saga or Star Wars IP as a whole, as such the game is not going to be this broad, massive Universe right off the batt.

I mean, come on folks, Free Realms takes place on this vast Fantasy continent; Star Wars is a freaking "Galaxy." They can't very well have the same kind of MMO in the case of CWA. It would have taken several years and more money then SOE and LucasArts was willing to pony up right now, especially in the case of LA having given the massive amount of funds they've pumped into, and are continuing to pump into, The Old Republic.

CWA was designed more along the lines of, say, Playstation Home. Where the young fans, and even slightly older ones, could get together in a Social Hub with uber The Clone Wars feel (and in that CWA wins in spades) and hang, playing some games against NPCs or each other. For those who can recall what it was like, think along the lines of the local Arcades that once upon a time gave former youths like myself a place to wile-away the afternoons, or weekends, with friends. For what CWA is trying to do, I think it's an amazing job.

The games, though short, are fun. The item shops, though limited in the Beta, have some cool pieces of gear, and the look is just stunning, IMHO. Walking out onto the Veranda and looking out on Coruscant is gorgeous. Walking into the Lounge and finding Ahsoka complaining to Barris was cute as hell. And there are a dozen other little details. I think once the detractors get off the "This isn't a Full MMO," band-wagon, you'll be able to appreciate was SOE/LucasArts and TCW team has done.

I honestly can't wait to have the whole thing up and running in Full so I can drop some moderate coin on decking out my soon to be Jedi and just enjoying a light-hearted Star Wars setting, shooting the breeze about what will happen next in Season 3 of TCW, while taking part in the occasional speeder race. And, the best part, it's damn near free.

Well, cudos on them. Will it likely tick off those fans who have stayed true to the original game and paid all these years *despite* the fact that this is, in essence, as Completely seperate game set in the same Universe that only offers through a pay store the kind of items and extra the subscribed players would normally get from bosses and mobs free? Without a doubt, folks will still complain up a storm. That's just the nature of the beast. Despite the reg subscribers *not* loosing anything, they will still, none the less, feel as though they are being betrayed.

None the less, I think this is a brilliant route for a game that's long been on the decline numbers wise. It's still a solid game, without question, and as I've stated before I don't think any *new* MMO should come out the gate with a F2P subscription plan. Thanfully, we've managed to dodge that bullet with DCUO, now I'm only waiting to get the 100% confirmation from BioWare/LucasArts that TOR will be full subscription as well. Still, unless you the Gorilla on the hill that is WoW, most MMOs that have been around for some time are feeling the pinch of the Global recession and need to adapt accordiningly if they want to continue to make some kind of profit. Turbine has prove that it can work, as have more independant developers like Frogster. At least SOE is trying to not stab players in the back by forcing them to become an F2P overnight. EQII and EQII-Ex will stand as two seperate experiences.

On a side note, it seems SOE is still working out the kinks as the Open Alpha site does not appear to be working, accepting niether sign ups nor log ins. So, for those wanting to take the new experience for a spin, a wait might be in order.

It's been such a long while since I sat down and gave EQII a spin. Well, not *that* long, about year and some change, maybe. Still, this entire starter experience sounds like a great deal more fun than my original experiences on the famed 'Newb Island' and later Qeynos. The break down of content for the article was really well flushed out, cudos for all the pointes on Lore Quests and AA points, two elements from my previous foray that I recall not really understanding. Lastly, it Always blows me away to look at the screen-captures you guys put up.

The spec on my PC when I played EQII about a year ago was...okay, at least for a game as aged as EQII. However, wow...what-ever you've got going under your PC's Hood makes this seem like a whole new game. The resolution, details, and color constrast was so Sharp, I spent a good long while just looking at the pretty pictures (laughs) Bottom line, thanks for another great Tattered Notebook, it really got me wanting to play this game; sadly, between my Rig not really being what it once was anymore (curse of the gaming Rig) and this bloody recession, I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon. Still, something to look forward to.

Just wanted to take a minute to say, "Thank you," for putting aside the time to give SWG a go. Though your viewpoints can often spark debate, you're known for giving indepth and comprehensive insight on the things you experience in the titles you take a crack at, you're never one for just saying, "It's Terrible, blah, blah, blah," If you dislike something, there's usually a good reason for it, and for those reasons, again, I say thank you for giving SWG a try so as to, hopefully, put to rest the most redundant compliants about the game and really address the current State of this "somewhat" Aged but still beloved MMO. Oh, and I would Humbly suggest Female/Commando/Starsider. Have a Blast!