Revisiting a Classic

Which online game’s fanatic never heard of Ultima Online? The first MMORPG to be launched commercially is one of the most incredible games in the genre until today.

In September 30, 1997, Origin Systems launched a beautiful online game with great isometric pixelart and inbelievable customization. I remember when I first played it in 1998, I used to spend hours just changing the look of my character or dying to the cows. Ultima Online is definitely a great memory in the mind of most MMORPG players.

In this spring, Ultima Online will walk a new step in it’s history. In Kingdom Reborn, the new expansion, the game will receive a completely new graphic engine, better user interface and a new look.

The MMO that started it all celebrates its 10th anniversary with a stunning graphical overhaul that takes advantage of new technology while retaining that classic UO look. The makers of Ultima Online have gone back to the original concept designs for the game to rebuild the world - every rock, every creature, every item, and every effect – with painstaking detail. It is a world truly reborn! 

Before:

After:

More can be found at www.uoherald.com.  If you never played UO, give it a chance. Even being a really old game, it really deserves a place in our hearts.

The Dawn of a New Gaming Standard

It happens in any game genre. The developers form all around the world create a big bunch of games, until one of them becomes a classic, a really great game which becomes an example to be followed. What the puzzle genre would be today without Tetris? And FPS games without Doom? Now we’re watching a new stardard’s birth: World of Warcraft.

Before it, playing a MMORPG meant kill the exact same monster thousand times, and then go to another dungeon where you would kill thousands of the same monster, but now in a different ambient and a different color. For example:

Ragnarok Online: – Level 1-10 Monster – Level 10-15 Monster

– Level 20 Monster – Level 80 Mini-Boss

The world ifself always had a story behind it, but never the story was very much attached to your character.

And then Blizzard launched Worlf of Warcraft, a quest-based game where, if you just grab the lore and forget the people passing by, you can perfectly imagine you’re at an offline game. The story and the character walks side by side through quests and events, and the rest system makes you earn bonus in staying away from the game. Places and monsters are always different and following the lore. MMORPGs are becoming more and more casual, just like any other game where you can play and finish it, but you don’t need to spend your entire life on it. And, last but definitely not least: the interface.

World of Warcraft brings a incredibly customizable interface, but even it’s default mode is really easy to use and “organic”.

Minimap, skill buttons, health bars, bags… everything is on a good place.

Why do I say it became a standard? Because everyone is copying it.

In a few weeks ago I had to review a new game called Vanguard – Saga of Heroes. I logged in andthen started to play, but I was mesmerized by how that game resembles World of Warcraft. Same interface, same keys, quests, quest log, “hit Z for sheating weapons”, WASD control, and reputation system. Yep, even the reputation grind system was the same. But, at the same time, it’s a new game, with a different lore and stuff, and with really gorgeous graphics.

The point is: don’t bother if a new MMORPG looks like World of Warcraft too much. Or you’ll have to blame all FPS for looking like Doom.

An excuse for more GTA talking

 

So, what the hell does Gameinformer do to get these things?! Every gamer in the world helped bringing all the game websites to their knees to see that so-so GTAIV trailer, and now GI just come with TEN pages and screens! We’re just feeling so dumb. Take dis, hype fools! woops, no gangsta stuff this time. Time to get used to that accent… Russian or arabian? For fans of 24, the accent just reminds me of Assad’s. Or is Mikhail, that soviet dude from Lost? Damn!

While one tells nothing, other shows something

I’m not the one with the mad Photoshop skillz, so I think I’m just gonna tell right in your face the message I wanted to subtly imply in the above jpg:

I’m the only live human being 100% unimpressed with the GTA IV so-called trailer.

C’mon, Rockstar! You realize you made hundreds of thousands of people (mostly gangsta wannabes, except for me) keep that damn tab opened for a whole day, maybe more, only to show NOTHING?

Light effects? Gorgeous buildings? A full-voiced and controversial main character? I thought everybody was aware that we were talking about a PlayStation “I’m so powerful I can help cure cancer” 3 and Xbox 360 game. We were expecting all this good-looking stuff. We wanted to know something we didn’t! We wanted to be impressed and shocked in awe! We wanted a reason to kick the door open, run into a pile of… something and scream:

But you gave us nothing.

* * *

On a much starry note, teh internetz has provided us with this…

…and I, suddenly, feel like the dirtiest, guiltiest man in the whole wide world for not have played through the first one.

Money World

Alright, you’ve already read this stuff. The fact is that Devil May Cry 4, that game that was one of the highlights of the old E3 ‘05 Sony’s fake show is now coming to the Xbox 360 and, oh my God, even the PC. But this isn’t the only wrong thing happening. The uncle Bill’s machine also got Ace Combat 6 and Monster Hunter 3. What the hell is going on?!

 The question is… is it that surprising?

 No, it is not. Everybody knows that the PS3 isn’t going that well worldwide. The only people that is buying it are Sony fanboys, or that people that don’t know much about videogames and say “oh, PS2 was just the best console ever, imagine how the PS3 should rock everything!”

Let’s face it: It’s not about the loyalty or friendship  the game companies have that games turn exclusive. They are exclusives just when it will bring MONEY to the publishers. Gamers usually forget that gaming industry is an INDUSTRY, and everything in this world runs through earnings and costs. Yeah, some people forgot about this… Sony forgot.

Creating a new top game costs an incredible amount of dollars, and now even more with the new consoles. So what would be better if you were the CEO of Capcom, Namco, Konami or other big company: keep one of your best tiles in just one platform, making a good act for the fanboys, or try to continue producing expensive stuff selling the new game on as many platforms s possible? Especialy if this platform already sold 10 milion units and it’s going to sell much more when a certain Spartan comes out in the end of the year?

Not that Microsoft is the nicest company in the galaxy and they never lose a thing. But let’s compare these three games that got a new home with 3 I remember that took the other way:

Sony to Microsoft                                            Microsoft to Sony

Devil May Cry 4                                                Ninja Gaiden
Ace Combat 6                                           The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Monster Hunter 3                               Another game that you remember

See the diference? Ninja Gaiden is that one from the first and big Xbox, Oblivion already has made his fame and an expansion is knocking on the door (that is, PC and 360 doors) and probably the other title you remembered is the same case. You could say “of course it is! The Xbox 360 is one year older than the PS3!” Ok, but could you tell me, now that the PS3 is out there, why its exclusives are going to the other house? It’s business, and the PS3 is not worthy to invest millions… besides, there isn’t even that millions of PS3 sold…

I think I didn’t make myself clear with this post, but what I’m trying to say is that third parties companies will stop to make games for just one company, and if things just continue like it is today, the scenario can just look worse: the one and only sentence that we will see is “Microsoft just got one more game from PS3. The version for Sony’s console is officially canceled”. So, for the good of the industry, wake up Sony. Or keep sleeping, with many Zs up you head and maybe a Snake will pass behind you and you’ll not even notice…

ELIT360 (There, I did it, you don’t have to)

So, in the last post I sounded a little bit too libertarian and angry? I was, but today I will talk all games, no politics.

You have probably heard by now that Microsoft is putting out a new SKU of the Xbox 360 this April 29^th (right before my birthday: May 2^nd). And you probably know it has an HDMI port, comes with the composite/component cable and the HDMI cable (take THAT cheap ass Sony), has a black headset, it’s black, has a 120GB HDD and a kick ass grey-ish box (overlooked by everybody!). Some 360 owners are pissed because they feel cheated, I say “Bullshit! You got a great system and new models are inevitable these days”. I have a premium 360 I bought last year and I am not angry, I am going to get me one, but I do feel that some problems should be fixed. The Elite model won’t come with the transfer cable! (The separate 120GB HDD will) The data transfer cable has a bunch of stupid limitations! (Listed HERE) The 120GB HDD costs way too much and also, 120 is not such a big HD anymore, especially when you are dealing with HD content. But at least they will sell a black play and charge, black battery and black controllers. I will try to get my ELIT360 as soon as possible after launch, with a black play and charge (yes, I will pay 8 bucks more just so I get the black cable as well). I will post pics and impressions here when I do so.

GUS

We’re Back To The Inquisition Days I guess

   
 

Hey everyone just read THIS .

   
 

So… freedom of speech? Anyone?

   
 

It makes me so mad that when someone does this it gets off as a guy that is against games or doesn’t understand them, but we have to look at the big picture here, this is a freedom of speech issue. It is stupid to ban a game because it portraits a fictitious version of your town badly? YES, but it is not just stupid, it is dictating what materials get in to the hands of free citizens, it doesn’t matter how much you don’t like it or think is bad, everyone has the right to put ideas out there, don’t like it? Boycott it, don’t buy it, tell people not to buy it, etc. I don’t think the game is stupid or dangerous, but even if it was people would only really know it by having access to it, if you don’t let the idiots, nuts and crazies talk people can’t really know if they agree or not, if you didn’t know what Nazis were about you might’ve wanted to join them because you had a fake image of them in your head. My point is: let the crazies speak, people’s selective mind will take care of themselves and probably they will turn out to be crazy, but every now and then you have your Galileo.

   
 

GUS

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa 1st

Hey, this is the inaugural post for Gamesick.

 

What is Gamesick? Well this will be a blog written by me and other videogame journalists. We will comment on news, discuss topics that are on gamers’ minds and Gamesick the boredom out of you!

 

Wow, that last part sounded like a Press Release.

 

GUS