Does the World Need An Elder Scrolls Online?

Does the Elder Scrolls really need to be an MMO? Or better yet, does the world really need another generic fantasy MMO? So far, what little I have seen about The Elder Scrolls Online has me wonder what the team at Zenimax Online have been up to since 07; does it really take that long to make your standard tank/healer/dps MMO? For me, The Elder Scrolls series is not about joining up with four, or five, or forty other people to kill some monster so I can have a chance for that piece of gear I am looking for, I have WoW for that thank you very much. No, The Elder Scrolls for me is about being an adventurer in a foreign land with nothing but the open wilderness to guide you. I love the freedom Morrowind, Daggerfall, and Skyrim gives gamers, and that feeling you get when delving into a random crypt or tomb is very different and much more satisfying than trying to find a group or queue for that same dungeon I have finished time and time again. I play WoW and The Elder Scrolls for different reasons, and I don’t need or want one that is trying to be the other.

Now I can understand wanting to develop an MMO. Looking at how much money Blizzard makes because of WoW (or what we can assume they make) and it is not hard to see why everyone else is sticking to the same formula. But therein lays the biggest problem plaguing modern MMO design: everyone is trying to make WoW with a different skin, when gamers want something new and different. We already have WoW to play, why would people want to play the same game again? Is it really any different if I am healing you as my Priest in WoW or as a Jedi in The Old Republic, or as whatever in any other game?  Sure, I would love to explore the entirety of Tamriel in The Elder Scrolls Online, but with us already knowing that some of the provinces are off limits/not done so they can be included in futureexpansions I am left to wonder why I would ever play this game if my biggest draw is incomplete.

I love the idea of the MMO, and I love playing the MMO, but I am ready for a massive multiplayer experience that is new and exciting. I am ready for new ways of interacting with the world and the countless other players within these large digital realities, and I wonder how long it will be until something truly new and exciting will enter into the MMO space. Until that day comes and I am playing this new, unique, and exciting MMO, I am content to play WoW and patiently wait. Hell, I have pets to collect for Mists of Pandaria`s upcoming Pokémon Pet Battle mode anyway.

The Bodies of the Gods: Thoughts on Xenoblade: Chronicles

As the sun sets on the aging Wii, the system is set to experience one final blast of gaming goodness; the JRPG renaissance of Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower. The first game of this trilogy of games to finally reach North American shores, after an overly lengthy wait, is Monolith Soft’s excellent Xenoblade: Chronicles. After getting to what I am assuming to be the halfway point in the narrative, I thought it was high time I put some of my thoughts to words about this very unique game.

Xenoblade tells the story of a young man named Shulk, and his journey to exact revenge on the machine that killed his friend. Wielding the powerful sword known as the Monado, Shulk and his party set out on their quest across the dead titan, Bionis. While the game does not forge new JRPG story territory, the characters you experience this tale with are likeable and well written and while they may not break any stereotypical RPG tropes (the wise healer, the thick-headed tank, etc), they are decent enough. The characters and story are well development along predictable lines, but it is the setting and art style that really steal the show; the world where the people live in Xenoblade: Chronicles are actually the long dormant bodies of two massive titans (the Bionis and the Mechonis) standing in an endless ocean, locked into eternal combat. This unique setting gives the game a surrealist vibe, and I for one love how different it is.

The combat, unlike its turn based forefathers, is fast paced and all about managing your cool downs and positioning. One thing that may turn people off is that your AI controlled companions fight on their own (very well I might add) while you control your own character. Sure it would have been nice to have more control over your party, I don`t know how Monolith Soft could have done it within the confines of the current battle system; it feels more like a western MMO (think WoW) than a traditional JRPG. If you where a fan of Final Fantasy XII`s battle system, then you will feel right at home here.

The British voice acting is something that I find really neat about this game. I know some of the references may be lost on me, and I admit that I don’t know the inherent implications of the various regional accents and dialects of the UK, but the British voice talent adds another very unique layer onto an already unique gaming experience. It also helps that the voice work and localization is very well done, and helps to get me even more excited for The Last Story.

Xenoblade Chronicles is a game that is big in scope, content, and heart and is easily one of the better JRPGs I have ever played. It boggles my mind that it has taken this long for a modern JRPG to see the light of day, and for this game to finally be released over here in North America, but I am glad it is here. Xenoblade, with its excellent localization and voice work, has me excited for the North American release of The Last Story (June 19^th) and has me crossing my fingers for an eventual North American release of Pandora`s Tower.