"One new idea a year..."

So there's a game company out there that has been shamelessly and blatantly copying popular game concepts games for their own sale and distribution. Bet you can't guess what country this developer belongs to. China? South Korea? Russia?

It's France.
Wait what? Yep! A French company, Gameloft, has been replicating popular PC/console titles on mobile devices, such as Android and iPhone. It's copied Gran Turismo (GT), Midnight Club (Asphalt), World of Warcraft (Order and Chaos Online), Halo (NOVA), Assassins Creed (they ported AC, but they also released Backstab), Sunset Riders (Cowboys and Aliens), Uncharted (Shadow Guardian), God of War (Hero of Sparta), GTA4 (Gangsta: Miami Vindication), and Starcraft (Starfront). And that's just for Android!

Hard to believe that they've cloned some of these games on the phone... But just look: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.gameloft.android.ANMP.GloftMMHM

That's nearly 1:1 identical to WoW. How they don't have lawsuits crash onto their ass like a ton of bricks, I don't know. Of course, we've seen shameless game copying before, so why would I talk about it now?

Well, there have been many before me to call Gameloft a copycat, and their CEO has actually responded.

"The video game industry has always played around a limited number of themes. There is maybe one new idea a year. If a type of game is not available, then you should make it. The damaging thing is if you do a bad expression of a good idea."
- Michel Guillemot

Bold statement, buddy. Even if Guillemot's claim of a singular unique idea per year was true, that is not a flattering situation. Nor is it an excuse. It makes us wonder what is happening in the game industry that is causing this stagnation of ideas. Could it be in part that upper management like Guillemot himself is too focused on mimicking popular titles rather than reaching out with daring concepts, leading game designers to hesitate when proposing and promoting new game concepts like back in the gaming golden age of the late 80's and 90's? Could it be that Guillemot is right about the lack of ideas, but yet ironically he is the plague that is pervading it?

Guillemot is a disgusting worm. He's not just copying to make a quick buck like some Asian game developers do... But he doesn't even think it's copying or setting back the development of the industry and propagating more development studios with FEWER original ideas. In fact, his narcissism allows him to believe that he's doing us a favor by paying homage to leading titles. You have to be pretty twisted to say that.

Assassin's Creed: Boringhood

Although not a fan of the series, I nevertheless find myself drawn towards the enigma that is the Assassin's Creed series. I enjoy it's scenic environments and am ever curious about how exceedingly farfetched its historical, conspiracy-laced tale can go. Unfortunately, the last time I played AC:Brotherhood was 6 months ago, and I find it impossible to bring myself back to playing it. As I described with AC2, the game is a test of endurance, and I am simply out of steam.

In AC, it's never made too clear how much you are missing out on if you don't complete the bonus objectives or side missions with perfect results, and so you would be compelled to get it right, or have to forcibly reload by restarting the mission entirely. In AC1, it didn't make a difference, as long as you beat it. In AC2, you would completely miss out on solving the ending sequence, and basically fail to understand a majority of the plot and backstory. In AC:B, you have to complete all optional objectives perfectly, and also complete the main objectives in a predetermined method. This means when I assassinate a target, it has to be with a specific weapon, and with a specific result. So sometimes, I must murder a target, but with a sabre, and throw him into some scaffolding. What frustrates me is that I don't understand why I must do it this way to get full points. I'm an ASSASSIN. What matters is that I am undetected. In AC:B, what matters is superficial requirements that don't make any sense. You'd think I was trying to frame someone or something, but no. Who cares if my target is thrown off the wall when I'm surrounded by 20 guards who are witnesses of my identity? Emphasis has been misplaced on meaningless stipulations, and should you somehow not complete the mission as exactly specified, then you must redo the entire mission, usually involving riding across half the country to reach your mission-start location, then tailing a target for ten minutes, then slowly peeling away layers of vulnerable guards, then sneaking in barely any time left. In short, it is tedious work that balances on the edge of a blade that drags on for 20 minutes, until you wonder why it is so difficult to do something as menial as finding a backalley pickpocket.


The checkpoint and saving systems don't help either. You can only save outside of a mission, and loading the game doesn't take you back to where you were last. It merely saves the progression of your game, but usually spawns you at your HQ (in a very isolated part of the country). Automatic checkpoints are rarely interspersed throughout 20-30 minute long missions, but can only be restored upon your death, so you'll frequently beg for the guards to impale quickly you so that you won't have to replay the mission's stalking sequence. Should you choose to complete the mission, despite not completing all the bonus criteria, you can retry it later, but death no longer restores the previous checkpoint, instead exits you out of the replay mission, and back to where you are currently. You can thank console gaming for the trend of lacking genuine, robust save systems. Replayed missions also restore the equipment, abilities and progression you had when you completed the mission the first time, so once you beat it with terrible equipment, it will never get any easier, no matter how long you delay it. Completing a mission is a commitment, and the results will not likely be changed. Any sane player would choose the order of missions wisely, and not attempt to rush through any of the mission sets unless they complete them perfectly first try. You'll do a lot less loading and dying if you just do it right the first time.

The tediousness of it all really takes the fun out of the missions, even if they weren't as cookie-cutter as they are. I feel more sneaky and cunning playing Fallout or Deus Ex. In AC:B, I find myself using stupidly effective combat or assassination techniques in sequence to blast through how stunningly boring it is, which of course, doesn't help me get those super-special bonuses needed to unlock VITAL parts of the game. =_=. Dear developers, it isn't a bonus if it is needed to understand what the fuck is going on in your twisted universe which otherwise seems like a floundering excuse for a plot. Of course, it's marketed as a complex interwoven net of conspiracies and history, but really, it's more like peeling the countless layers of an onion, and having your eyes tear all the while.

Duke Nukem ForNever

Although in some instances we have strayed, the original intent of this blog was to discuss the trends and lessons in gaming and the development of games. This was because I do not expect readers to have played EVERY game. Nor for them to be too interested in the game we have to discuss as a case study, but rather for them to understand the concept at hand and filter it through their own previous experiences and then apply it towards future experiences, hopefully for the betterment of all gaming, and potentially, humanity. In this way, I'm not interested in telling you all the ways Duke Nukem Forever was terrible as a game, but rather, to tell you why it was bad as a concept of a modern game, or anything marketable.

Last year, when I heard about the impending arrival of DNF (and not the dozens of false alarms before), I was unimpressed. DNF was a zombie, being raised from the dead to prove a point: that what could not be made, finally was. But the highlights end there. I knew that this game would be hollow and incapable of impressing from that instant onwards. As I discussed with my friends that they shouldn't look for a blown-away experience, they responded that they sought nothing more than to own the legendary, nay, mythical title for its posterity.

It's unreasonable to expect that this shoddy production was to achieve little more than to end one of the greatest vaporware jokes in history, but what was reasonable? When I reflect back on my childhood, Duke wasn't even a big deal to me then. He was badass, but rather thin in terms of personality beyond that. I played him as an Apogee sidescroller, where he carried tons of guns and killed all sorts of aliens. Who really cared beyond that anyway? Then he got a FPS game, but honestly, people loved it because of how ridiculously wacky and broken it was (and perhaps the way it pushed the limits of censorship, or lack thereof). At least the gameplay was smooth and the controls were crisp though, which was a lot more than what I could say for DNF, which tried too hard to give that realistic clunkiness feeling. DNF shouldn't have tried at all to be like that, since it was NEVER like that. It was more in line with Serious Sam, which was an acceptable game, but the developers obviously wanted to accomplish more with the franchise, including the part where they make a ton of money and spawn a new set of sequels.

I'm not sure how to break it to them... But Duke wasn't really that great back then either. We just had a poor frame of reference. Surely, we'll find that Modern Warfare won't be so hot in another 15 years... Oh wait, I already feel that way 3 months after it released. =_= Sometimes, we have to take a good hard look at games we feel nostalgic about, and really consider if they were actually genuinely good experiences that can stand the test of time. Only then can they be true classics, and only then, can they be considered reviving.

There will always be fools who guide the blind.

There are many trends in gaming in the new decade: the resurgence of the console era, albeit somewhat different than in the late 80's; developers becoming more conservative and restrictive; the catering and spoonfeeding to a more casual crowd; the over-saturation of worthless DLC; the lack of real support and updates in an effort to perfect released games. But for now, I'll elaborate on a trend, nay, an illness that pervades the industry to the point of becoming commonplace and acceptable. Oh wait, that goes for everything above... What about bringing inevitable oblivion? Nope, that too. Forget it, let's move on and talk about the downfall of FORUM SUPPORT.

It used to be that online forums were a great place to ask others for help on similar software or hardware. It was a communal place to share ideas, solutions and experiences. Even the most eccentric of users could post their strange setups and discuss their troubleshooting methods. Even if lost in a sea of other more popular posts, one day, his journal will become the foundation of established how-to-guide sticky thread.

But alas, those days are no more. The modern forum consists of relentless torrents of needlessly defensive fanboys, overeager to defend their latest possession of novelty, despite their believed attacker having never spoken a word of negative criticism. Asking if others have tried to resolution-hack, modify game files, remove headbob or mouse acceleration, or adjust field of vision or depth of field results in your first five responses ranging from "I don't hav dis problem. Why r u complaining about it?" to "Why would you want to change that?" Welcome to the counteractive gaming generation. Instead of trying to search for a solution, people instead pretend that there was no problem to start with, and try to convince others the same. Unfortunately, this method, because of it's overwhelming popularity successfully converts more and more gamers. Ultimately, due to peer pressure, we'll all be suckered into believing that games are perfect and any problems are inherent to ourselves.

I recall having sought advice from the internet for almost every game I've played, but it has been almost entirely the past few years when the internet stopped helping me with my problems. When I queried the mouse acceleration problems in Dead Space 2, I found only a few posts of gamers still grasping for hope of online help. They were barraged by comments of others who BELIEVED they never experienced the issue, and then told to suck it up and deal with it. Or when I looked up how awkward the combat and cover was in Mass Effect 1, a game based on the normally-smooth and easily modifiable UT engine, I also received no help. Just 5 years ago, I'd have gotten a set of console commands in a flash to modify whatever I wanted. If not that, then at least a consolidated community voice asking for a standard of quality to be delivered.

What's appalling is the level that this self-degrading stupidity has developed. Case in point: a reply to a thread created to address FOV and motion sickness issues with Minecraft.

I don't understand why people get motion sickness from games.

I don't understand why people get motion sickness.

Come to think of it, I don't know what people mean by vertigo.

Crazy heights and movement have never bothered me... Well, you know, unless there weren't something to keep me from falling.

Source

Wow. Well I don't understand why people don't understand things. I guess that means it is nonsensical and thus, impossible for people not to understand, right? Fucking retard. How does his lack of understanding contribute ANYTHING to the thread, other than to derail another man's plight and curb common interest into attacking the original poster's vulnerabilities? Worse, Minecraft is an independently developed game, and supports many mods, so the game is quite customizable, even as an understatement. For this sort of narrow-minded egocentricism to even be not immediate grounds for disbarment is insulting. Here's a Dead Space 2 thread, where I criticized some of these dumbasses for their misinformation. Same sort of deal. Only a minority realise the problem, while others blindly tout their false beliefs.

This sort of limited perspective cripples the industry, causing the developers to cut corners, knowing that the lobotomized fanbase will serve as a self-defensive mechanism to defend the games from any shortcomings of the developers. Thus, they become even more careless, leading to further infection of gamers with this false belief. Imagine if I walked into a wine-enthusiasts fair and told them that everything there was amazing and without even the slightest flaw or possibility of improvement. I'd be wrong, but if there were enough voices like mine, we'd be able to pressure everyone else into succumbing to this new lowered standard. We'd set back development and progress for decades with terribly flawed opinions.

Alas, these people are fools, and in the perfect world, they'd be obliterated, but unfortunately, we'll have to settle with ignoring their short-sighted pacification while we are consciously dragged into the ruin of gaming.

Guide to becoming the best gamer

Ever feel non-confident in a new game? Ever feel like everyone thinks you're a huge noob? Then look no further. With this guide everyone will be at your feet begging to play with you because you are such an awesome player. They wish to bask in the glory that is your pro-ness.

1) Blame others

It is never your fault! This is the most important rule! If you are playing a team game and you're getting your ass handed to you, blame your teammates. They obviously are sucking so bad they can't be bothered to help you. Why do you have to carry the whole team by yourself? Such nooblords need to be cussed out. Remember when blaming your team to talk in all chat so the enemy will know that it is their fault and not yours. If your team bitches back at you claim how great you are in other games and it is only this game that you are doing badly so its obviously them. This will shut them up because they can't comprehend the greatness that is your skill. You are always the best player on your team.

2) Playing on a handicap

You are always playing on a handicap. The character, race, hero, gun, anything you picked is automatically always underpowered. Whoever beats you is obviously overpowered. If you do beat them though, make sure you rub it in their face that they are a noob. Anyone who loses to you is a noob because you have such a great handicap. If they claim that your shit isn't underpowered just drown out everything they say with repeated attacks on their sexuality. They are obviously faggots because they suck at a video game. If they were good they'd automatically be straight but of course not as good as you because you are the pinnacle of straightness. Since you are so skilled if they ask for a rematch just say no because you'll own them again. Its better to let them walk away knowing they might have had a chance than to get creamed again by you. You are such a considerate awesome 1337 gamer.

3) Lag

You are always lagging. The game admins are obviously cheating or the game is working against you to stop you from winning. When you miss the guy and he shoots you to death then it was lag. You obviously were aiming at him how would it have missed? Be sure to yell at them saying they were lucky you were lagging. Because how else would they have known? They might possibly have thought you actually missed and was a noob! If they say your ping is better than theirs claim that they are hacking. Say they're using speed hack or aim hack. If you get banned its obviously because you caught onto their scheme of owning oblivious players. You are so talented aren't you.

4) Advice sucks

Why are you taking advice from noobs? If someone tells you that its impossible to do something then call them a faglord and that you've done it 20 times before and you were doing it before he even knew what this shit was. If everyone still claims that you can't tank a heroic dungeon as a mage then say you'll show them. If the group dies its their fault. Obviously they are so shitty they can't keep you up. Make sure you bitch about them on world chat before leaving your party and continue doing this for the next 20 minutes. You are always right. If you're losing to someone and they're telling you mass zealots is weak against mass mutalisks refer to rule number 2. Obviously mutalisks are overpowered. Why would the enemy be giving me advice! He's obviously trying to trick me. Call him a fag a few times then call him a noob hacker. You are so smart no one can pull a quick one on you.

5) Don't help your team

If you're playing a team game and your team asks for assistance. Lash out at them. Tell them to shut the fuck up then throw in a few nooblords and faglords for good measure. Why do you have to stop what you are doing to help them? You are the team not them. They can go fuck themselves. They only exist to remind you how bad all the other players are in this game. Those guys might try to pull a number 1 on you. Don't be fooled. They're only pretending to be pro. Make sure you call them out so that the other team can hear you. If you do miraculously win with a team of noobshits make sure you cuss out the enemy team and say how badly they are doing. If they or your teammates point out that you are the weakest member on your team then say you single handedly carried a bunch of noobs to victory. Your time is so precious you can't be bothered with noobs, even if they are on your team.

6) E-Peen > All

When your team is missing something crucial don't pick it. Always pick the job that scores you the most kills or highest points. Because why bother playing with others if you can't wave your colossus E-Peen in front of their face? Always be nearby to take the credit for everything. If someone is fighting come up from behind and shoot them in the head taking their kill. If your team bitches at you for kill stealing call them a noob because your score is better than theirs and they are obviously a shitty player. If you are getting owned by more than one person make sure you tell them enemy that you are so good they need their whole team to beat you. If they remind you its a team game, call them out for a 1 on 1. If they don't come call them a pussy. Keep waiting at that spot all game even if your team is telling you to help on a objective. No they are coming. If you leave now they'll think you're some kind of pansy fag. If they claim they are a support hero and you are a carry then say they're scared. Your pro-ness makes the noobs leave the game in shame.

7) Bitch at the game company

When something is not your liking make sure you go on the forums and bitch about it. Make multiple posts to nerf this or that because they beat you. They are obviously so overpowered they can own a pro like you. Also to improve the game for the better make sure you bitch about how shitty the game is and how you are going to quit if they don't do this and that. Then proceed to tell everyone that you are quitting and posting info about a new game you wish to join. Come back every hour to check on your post to reply to the flamers. A few words of shut the fuck up noob or suck more (insert game company) cock faggots will make them stop. What is the point of quitting if no one knows you are quitting? The game will miss your presence and all the noobs can finally enjoy the game once you leave because you aren't there to own their sorry asses. If you don't quit the game or come back to the game, make sure you make a new post saying how the game didn't bother to fix anything and they are the worst company ever for being so slow on updates. You were able to play a new game own those noobs and come back. In that time the company should've realized their mistake and changed the game so you can enjoy it. Because why make a game if there are no super pros playing it right? For the noobs? Psh yeah right. Who fucking cares about noobs. You are the center of the universe and everything revolves around you.

8) If you can't beat it the game sucks

If you're playing a game and you're getting your ass handed to you by the AI go on their game forums and bitch about how stupid the game is. If someone tries to teach you how to do it then refer to number 4. Join in on discussions about the game and insert remarks about how bad the game is. If people tell you to shut up tell them anyone who likes this game is gay since you don't like it. Then go on every website that has a review of that game and post how badly this game is and flame everyone who says its a good game. Who else going to stop the world from being filled with noob faglords? If people are having a hard time on something make sure you tell them how easy it was for you and how they are a nooblord even if you never got that far. If they say you are talking out of your ass tell them you beat the game like 10 times already even if the game came out for only a day. You are so good you can finish the game 10 times in the time those noobs finish once.

9) Get a witty name

Your name is your persona. Why create an original gay name that fits the game? When you make a name like NoobKilla or GanstaStabz then they'll know not to mess with you because you'll own their ass. If they name is taken then make sure you add a lot of x's to the name or mispell the name like XxxxXxSephirothxXxxxX. All pros think alike so adding more x's will show how pro your name is. If you're not witty enough to think of the name first then make sure you mispell it or use ascii letters so it looks like the name but it isn't and no one can whisper you because its impossible to tell if that is an l or an i or alt+141. If someone calls you a 12 year old for having that name then make sure you tell them how successful you are at life and how you have a supermodel girlfriend that fucks you every night and you make millions of dollars a year. Then proceed to call them a fag because not being successful in life means you're a homosexual.

10) Play with pros only

Get a group of friends, most likely ones that share your wit like in number 9. Proceed to join games as a group and start doing whatever the shit you want. Then start calling the "pub" that you are with a noob. Everyone should abuse that guy because he's not a part of your circle. If something drops that you want have all your friends roll on it so if you don't get it at least your friends will get it. If they complain threaten to kick them out of the group if you are the admin or leader which you should always be. Pros get priority over noobs. Make sure you crack jokes and have your friends back you up. Start spewing bullshit until you get a reply and then have everyone flame them at once. If your friends suck and die make sure you call them a noob and find a new group of friends. If no one wants to be your friend its because they're jealous of your pro skills.

11) Get girls to secure masculinity

Make a big deal when you see a girl gamer even though they are pretty common. Make sure you keep harassing them and following them around wherever they go. Because how else can you prove your straightness without a online girlfriend! Give them free items to make sure they know you are an awesome rich 1337 guy. Then proceed to go into a flying rage when they don't like you or already have a boyfriend. Make sure you keep harassing them and calling them sluts for not realizing your greatness. If you are a girl gamer you have a get out of jail free card that never expires. Make sure you keep throwing out that you're a girl out there. When you make a mistake go "teehee I don't know any better I'm a girl." The guys will all forgive you but if you're with another girl and she tells you to fuck off make sure to put that bitch down by amassing the 12 year old horny boys against her and getting her tossed out. This also needs to be done on any fags that are immune to your sly charms. You are the most popular person in the game and your army of 12 year old slaves prove it.

12) Don't tell people you are leaving

When you gotta go you gotta go. Fuck your team they're a bunch of noobs anyways. When you gotta go take a shit or jerk off to porn or take a shit while jerking off to porn. Don't tell your team. Who are they your mom? They don't need to know everything you do. If they see you standing around doing nothing they should know you aren't there and shouldn't proceed with the objective. Assuming someone is there behind the computer the whole time is stupid. Who the fuck has time to waste. I got shit to do or shit to shit to be precise. If I gotta leave for school or work then fuck that shit I leave the game and ditch the rest. I don't give a fuck if I only have 10 minutes to play and the objective takes an half hour. Who the fuck has that time. They should be looking around making sure you're there before doing anything. Your time is more valuable than theirs so tell them to fuck off.

13) Rage quit

When you are with a team of losers and they are making you lose then rage quit on them. Make sure you announce in all chat so the enemy team can hear you rage at your team then proceed to purposely feed or AFK. This would hide the fact that your stats are so bad because your team sucked so badly. Also don't really go AFK. Keep coming back every few minutes to remind everyone how badly the game is going and call them nooblords. If the enemy calls you a noob then blame your team. You wouldn't have forgotten rule 1 would you? If they keep insisting you suck then call them faggots. Attacking their sexual orientation will totally throw them off guard. If they still won't shut up then just leave the game. But remember if you can rejoin, do it 5 minutes afterwards then yell at them some more before going AFK. The game just isn't the same without your presence in it.

With these simple rules, you'll be the best player ever. Remember games are made for your enjoyment not the enjoyment of others. If someone tells you otherwise tell them you paid for your game and that you play however the fuck you want to. You are the best player anyways so he should shut the fuck up and learn from you instead.

F2P vs P2P MMO Games

One thing I see over and over again are the F2P vs P2P arguments. People want F2P because they're cheap as shit. People want P2P because the quality of the game is better. Who is right? Who is wrong? I don't know. But I would prefer P2P. Why? Because P2P means you get everything in the game and all that money is used to help server stability, gms, customer support, everything to make your game a better experience. Of course thats not always the case. F2P games mean you get most of the game but the goodies are all locked out and you'll have to pay individually for them. They also limit your gameplay in some way to force you to pay for little things or be frustrated to hell. Like for example, one of the most popular things to limit are bag spaces. These games are assholes to limit you to 10% of the available bag space then force you to pay 5-10 bucks per additional bag. Thats almost more than a subscription fee. That doesn't even add in the other shit you need to pay. Yeah yeah I don't have to pay for it, which I don't because paying for bags are bullshit, but that doesn't even add in the limited content you need to buy or additional stuff like letting you see health bars and the ability to customize your skills/character.

The people who play F2P games are dominated by people who don't pay. Those who pay have a huge advantage. Those who pay spend hundreds of dollars a month for shit just to get ahead of others or to feel good about themselves. A lot of F2P games are doing this lately. Pay to win. You'll never be as good as the people who pay if you play for free. P2P games everyone is equal. You won't be a second class citizen because your wallet isn't filled with cash. I would gladly pay 15 bucks a month if the game is of high quality and that money is used to bring me better servers, gameplay, gms, customer support. Exactly what you notice lacking in most F2P games. Of course not all of them are but some are especially bad (NEXON) while a few others are acceptable.

Then there are people who are casual and don't play all that much for a subscription based game. Then F2P games might appeal more to them. They are the type of people would buy gold in a P2P game. Their argument is, "It takes more time to grind all that gold than to work and buy the gold." I agree. I don't buy gold, I don't approve of buying gold, but hey its your money. Only problem with that is the company themselves don't earn anything. However they cannot give others an advantage in a P2P game. Therefore there are people who don't play a lot for F2P games and are willing to shell out huge money to progress faster. But I have to ask you, if you can't even play for an hour a day then perhaps MMO's aren't for you. Perhaps sticking to single player games. MMO's are all about playing with others and taking your time in the game. Because hey if you finish too fast whose going to keep paying right?

I would gladly pay 15 bucks to be entertained for a month than to pay 60 bucks for a shitty game like Fable 3 where you finish in 3 hours. Even the longest single player game you'd probably be entertained for a month at most. 15 bucks versus 60 bucks? But then I hear people go "But you can go back and play it anytime!" While that is true, how many times can you replay a game? You might go back and replay it years from now yeah but thats still 30 bucks worth of a game if you spend 2 months on it. Then you'll go "what about starcraft 2 or teamfortress 2 or maybe even Guild Wars?" What about them. You buy the initial game and then you can play for free. While that is very good, the thing is for these games you are hosting the games, they don't need to pay huge server fees compared to games like WoW or any other MMORPG. Guild Wars is all instance based like Diablo 2 where you have a major hub for everyone to hang out in (town) and you leave and everything is instanced. This cuts down on fees significantly. The main part of making a game is making money. They can't make money you can't play their game.

15 bucks a month isn't a lot of money. The problem is if the game is worth the 15 bucks a month. If the game sucks more balls than duke nukem forever then you can guarantee no one would pay it. I don't like how people keep spouting out "15 bucks is a lot of money! I can't afford that I want free to play." If you can't afford 15 bucks a month to game then stop gaming. 15 bucks a month equals to 50 cents a day. You can find 50 cents on the street in the time it takes to read this. Watch one less movie a month, don't eat subway for a couple days, smoke a pack of cigarette less, take a bus instead of driving for a couple days. If you can pay your electricity bill you can pay for a game. If you're arguing the game sucks and its not worth the 15 bucks I can understand. Just don't whine that 15 bucks is too much to pay and it should be free instead. If the game sucks then you wouldn't want to play it for free anyways.

Nowadays most games are adapting a hybrid kind of payment. Most games that are P2P eventually become F2P. The game is free but you can pay a monthly fee to become a premium member for bonus shit. Or they can pay for individual shit in the cash shop. One thing I hate with a passion about F2P games are the massive influx of goldspammers, botters, and whiners. You ban one they sign right back up with a new email. Whiners would all congregate at the newest MMO then bitch and moan about every little thing then when it doesn't go their way they leave for the next one. I know P2P have those too but there are significantly less whiners. Maybe because the whiners are kids who can't afford a monthly subscription. Or maybe because they can make a new account if they get banned for greifing or going around swearing or spamming racial slurs at everyone they meet. I don't know but from experience, this is how it works.

We all know who is the king of P2P. Its WoW. Nothing can ever come close to the mammoth that it is. P2P games are usually not that big. The amount of people you find in it is only a fraction of a F2P game. But that doesn't mean its impossible to find people to play with. On the contrary its easier because people sort of become a tight knit community. Very rarely do we hear about big F2P games. Yeah theres Maplestory (asshole Nexon) and League of Legends is huge. LoL is a Moba game (think dota) where you can pay money to unlock champions or runes earlier and even unique skins. If your game is good, and being free to play doesn't limit you to shit then you can make big money. P2P and F2P neither is better than the other. I play P2P games and I play F2P games. What do I prefer? P2P. Does that make it better? No. Its because the games that I enjoyed most happen to be P2P for the reasons I mentioned.

Fable 3 - Taking away features is innovative

First of all, I played the PC version which was vastly inferior to the console version. Not only it is it over an year late but even Peter Molyneux said, "We don't care about the PC version, any money we earn is extra money but we don't expect to earn anything because of pirates." I'm not making this up. Its not exactly his words but he basically said the same thing. The PC version is filled with slow downs and horrible controls. Everything shitty about a console port to PC is in here. I first became aware of this game when Cent wanted to play coop on it. When we realized PC version was delayed for over an year. Was it worth it? No. It was horrible. The reviews were horrible. Peter Molyneux even stated he was disappointed at the reviews of this game. He made a horrible horrible game and he should be ashamed of himself.

The Fable series are always known for its casualness. Hardcore RPG fans probably wouldn't like the game. Even though they wanted a "mature game" it was filled with juvenile humor like farting in people's faces. The storyline in fable is terrible as well. Its always the same. You are a nobody that rises to become a hero then the real bad guy appears 10 minutes before the end of the game then you kill him and the game is over. Then you can do whatever you want afterwards. Yes the boss appears literally appears out of nowhere with no back story and is only evil for the sake of being evil. Yet in Fable 3 theres a guy called Reaver who went around shooting people killing people and having a game room where he kills people as party entertainment. Yet he's not killed or thrown in jail or anything. He's going around building shit for you. If they didn't fuck him up the first half of the game he would be more likable in the second half when he's helping you raise money. He's an entrepreneur, he doesn't care about the little people. Thats what you need when you are a ruler. You can't please everyone. When you need to raise 6.5 million before the end of the game or everyone dies. Then you need to make sacrifices. But that doesn't excuse the first half when you're fucking rioting because of his labor laws.

Morality also makes no sense in this game. Everyone is expected to be good. You are overthrowing a tyrant then saving the world from the evil that appears 10 minutes before the end of the game. I went down the path of evil. I'm going around blasting the shit out of everything I see with flaming blizzards. Guards come and I blast their face in. Then I break down their doors and try to steal their shit only to realize. YOU CAN'T! The only way you can steal shit is:

1) If the owner is still alive.

Unlikely if you go around murdering the whole town

2) If there is no guards around

Guards are automatically alerted and endlessly respawn when you break the law

3) At night after you break down the doors

Breaking down doors will automatically summon guards to your location to arrest you

4) The ruler of albion

You are 10 minutes from finishing the game, anything you steal has no effect on the game anymore

So stealing is basically out of the question until the end of the game. Or if you're lucky and fast enough, able to run in and grab an item before the guards reach you. Afterwards its impossible to go back to that town without guards swarming you. It is the worst theft system I have ever seen.

Now for the worst part of the game. WHO THE FUCK THOUGHT IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO TAKE AWAY FEATURES FROM THE GAME. Oh wait, I know it was that fucking loser Peter Molyneux. According to him, he removed everything that people "didn't use enough of." He doesn't want to design a game for 10% of the population. So he thought it was a good idea to remove health bars, remove experience, remove item descriptions so you'll never know what your spells or weapons do and a whole fuckload more stuff. Stripping a game to its bare bones is not innovative. Why hide the fucking things from the players? Is this sword better than this mace? I don't know. Theres no damage indicator when you hit an enemy so you can never tell. Does this upgrade for +7 damage on a sword better than this sword with +25% damage? I don't know. Why hide this from the players? Are people so fucking ADHD that they can't read two numbers? Or is the game deliberately being a jackass to fucking piss people off. Why no health bars? Because people don't watch their health? Potion buttons automatically pop up when you are low on health so you can drink them. Otherwise theres nothing on your screen. You have no idea how much damage you're doing, if you're hurting them at all. Just spam spam spam spam eventually they drop and die. Great game huh? THEN BAM GAME FREEZES. YOU HAVE TO GO IN THE PORTAL TO LEVEL UP!? Wait I thought theres no exp! Yes there isn't. Everytime you complete something part of the main storyline the whole world freezes and you have to walk into this portal into the "road to rule." This is basically the level up screen but instead of adding the skills in normally you have to walk over talk to the chest pick the chest of the upgrade you want then leave the road. You can go back to the road at anytime but newer gates are closed until you finish something in the storyline.

Worst part of the game? Theres no fucking menu button. When you click esc you get ported into your "sanctuary" where you can walk around into different rooms. Walk into the weapon room to see all your weapons on the wall and you walk up to each one individually to look at it and pick it up and equip it. Of course theres no descriptions so you won't know what they do or how much it hurts. Theres also a dressing room to change your clothes/armor. A treasury room to see how much money you have in a huge fucking gold pile along with trophies for completing side quests. The last room is the room you go to to connect with other people. Of course if you want to save or quit you have to first hit esc. Walk to the wall and talk to it then pick the option to save your game then walk to the statue which is your save then talk to the statue it will ask if you want to overwrite the game you click yes and it will save. Then you quit by doing the same thing press esc talk to the wall pick quit to windows then it quits. WHY MAKE THIS SO DIFFICULT. HOW DO YOU FUCKING FAIL AT MAKING A FUCKING MENU? Do we want to fucking walk around to click shit in 3d? Why can't we have a list like normal. Waste more time and effort to do the simplest of things. And just to fucking piss you off even more every time you want to do something you need to hold down the button for a few seconds then release it before it works. Why? Is it because people are so stupid they misclick opening a door? You're standing next to it why do we need to hold down the E button for 3 seconds to open the door? If you release it too fast before the circle fully forms around the Hold button then you have to start over. You have to wait until the Hold button's circle fully forms and become the Release button.

Theres no minimap theres no quest interface theres no nothing. Theres a glowing trail leading you from point A to point B. There no reason to go off the path. It will always lead you to your next quest. Just follow it until the game is over. But don't worry, the game isn't that long you can finish it in a few hours. Thank God.

The only way to make any real money in this game is buying houses and renting them out. I wanted a game not a fucking landlord simulator. If you don't make enough money by the end of the game everyone dies. I'm too fucking lazy to do that so I let everyone in my kingdom die. Does that affect the game in any way? No. Not really. Is the ending even satisfying? No. Not really. Did we even get to fight the boss? No. Not really. The storyline at least made sense right? No. Not really. What does the second half of the game do anyways? Nothing really. The first half you are overthrowing your brother the tyrant king. Then becoming the ruler. Then all of a sudden your brother reveals that an evil is coming! DUN DUN DUN. He was doing all this because the evil is coming. The end justifies the means. If he pleases everyone then the kingdom is doomed. Then you execute him because you're evil like that. Then you fuck up the kingdom by giving people a temporary happiness. The evil wipes out all 6.5 million people in the kingdom and the end! You win the battle but lost the war! The boss never really appears he's some weird shit that talks like an asshole. He sends like a few shadows at you then takes command of your friend then you kill him and they both die. The end. Game over.

Fuck you Peter Molyneux. Thats all I have to say. Plus I swear he's insane or something. Check out the interview here.

Nexon - Millions of haters since maplestory

I never played maplestory other than the first 5 minutes when my sis asked me to play. It sucked and I quit. Then years later a friend asked me to play. I played for 5 mins then quit again. It was a bad game it was a terrible game and it was boring. How did it get so huge? I don't know I guess people like those endless poke games where you grind endlessly. Theres no quests theres no nothing. It was a piece of shit.

What does Nexon have to do with it? Well from what I hear Nexon got rich off of that game and decided to purchase and managed a bunch of games. They ran those games to the ground with their shitty customer support and don't give a fuck attitude. Yet people keep going back and handing them money. Nexon are greedy fuckers who care more about their cash shop than running a good game. Because why bother? Every retard goes "oh cool a mount in a box! with a 2% chance of dropping and 10 bucks to purchase a gamble box!?" Then scream on the forums they spent 300 bucks and didn't get a mount from the mount box. Are you fucking retarded? If you stop paying for that stupid shit then they would change it. Its people like this that are ruining the free to play games. Some people are rich, and they don't give a shit and is willing to shell out big dollars to get ahead or look pretty.

Then Nexon makes events for their games where you have to purchase cash shop items to participate. Isn't that nice? Let only 20% of the population enjoy events while the other 80% can't do shit. Sure they can buy with ingame money from the rich fuckers who bought them with real money but every time we do that Nexon gets a little richer. Why can't they make event where we don't need to do this shit? In Maplestory, once you reach a certain level, the quest tells you to go to the cash shop and buy an item to continue or you can't level up more. Free to play my ass. They need to have a way to get money I know that but there are better ways. Lets take a look at some other free to play games I played. LoL, HoN, BLC, all have a cash shop to buy alternate costumes and unlocking other stuff for hereoes. Champions Online you have to pay a monthly fee to enjoy the game as well. But at least most of the game is free for you to play. Mostly.

Their newest game is Dragon Nest. Now this game is like a ticking time bomb waiting to blow. Open beta first started three weeks ago. Since then the community has spiraled out of control. I was one of those that went, "fuck we shouldn't bitch its in open beta they'll listen and fix shit." No, I was wrong. They don't give a shit. The forums were drowned out by whine posts and Nexon barely spoke one word on their forum except randomly silent locking or posts promising stuff when Beta is over. Well, guess what? They extended the beta now its hanging in limbo because according to Nexon "We haven't finished translating." Really now? PvP takes that long to translate eh? So what do they do, they give the population a new dungeon that you can run seven times a week, and severly nerfed the drops to around 1% of what Korean, Japanese, Chinese versions are. People went crazy. They also nerfed dungeon drops. Then they finally admitted to nerfing the drops when all the evidence piled up going "We don't want people getting geared so fast." They are expecting a dungeon that we can do in ten minutes to keep us busy for a month?

The best part is its not even beta anymore. Its release already. They just say its indefinite beta because they promised pvp, arena, and extended level cap. But there was no content, you can fly through the game in 3 days. Then what do you do? Grind gear for the rest of the month? Its pathetic how little content there is.

Just to add salt to our wounds, they opened a cash shop to let people buy stuff. What do they sell? Inventory space of course! They severely reduced the bag space from the other versions and expect us to pay 15 bucks for every bag. Then started selling skill reset scrolls for 20 bucks for everyone that messed up their build! Really? 20 fucking bucks? Like no one at Nexon thought that was overpriced? Guess rich little shits would buy them and in the next game Nexon would put them up for 50 bucks each.

The worst part about Nexon is its lack of customer support. Tickets are left unanswered for months at a time. These guys will copy paste generic responses. I know they got the money to hire GMs. They're earning a lot from their cash shop. GMs are complete douchbags who go "Yeah we can't do anything, maybe if you used the cash shop more we'd have a money trail to help us find the hacker." Then there was the corrupt GM scandal where GMs started hacking players. It took a long time and some other legit GMs to find out what the hell was going on. On the forums is the same retarded and clueless CMs. These CMs are shared among games and they will go from forum to forum posting about things. They average about one post every 2-3 weeks and the rest of the time the forums go unmoderated. People spam random stuff even porn sites that stay up for days until it was finally locked and deleted.

The SEA version is coming out soon, most of the population is willing to put up with the lag to move over there to play that version. What would you do next Nexon? The ball is in your court.