Hold-Me Over Game(s)
Posted by: Snafzg
On: May 25, 2009 at 10:22am
I haven't played WAR in ages and don't see any reason to log in until 1.3 launches. Once it does, I still don't see it holding my attention for long, so I've pretty much resigned to choosing a new primary MMO. The trouble is, I have no interest in any of the current MMOs. I am interested in a few upcoming titles, but they're still months away from release. This leaves me in a position where I'm looking for a hold-me over game.Here are the options I'm considering and I was hoping for your input:
- Team Fortress 2 - Lots of new updates lately and I know several other people playing. I find the game fun in short bursts (like 1-1.5 hour sessions) but that's about it. Chances are I will lightly play this game regardless.
- Guild Wars - I can get this game pretty cheaply on Steam right now ($20) and a friend has assured me the random 4v4 matches are pretty entertaining. My only issue is that I can't take it much beyond that since I don't have an active 8-person guild. Also, I haven't heard anything too special about the "story mode" campaign.
- Mass Effect - I have never played this game. Shameful, right?! My only issue is that it's not an MMO but that said, I don't really have any other MMOs to divert my attention, so maybe I can handle the 1-player mode from start to finish. Every respectable gamer should play this game, right?
- BioShock - Since I'm considering Mass Effect, I may as well consider this game too right? If you could only pick one, which would you choose? If you could play both, which would you play first? Both games are $20 on Steam right now. How long will it take to complete each one?
Mass Effect - Took me around 40 hours or so to beat this game. It's not an MMO, but it is quite an enjoyable sci-fi game. I enjoyed the combat quite a bit.
BioShock - This game is relatively short. I think I beat it in about 20 hours.
I actually have The Orange Box sitting next to my 360. One of these days coming up, I need to load TF2 and beat Portal :)
I'm in the same place as you, gaming-wise, right now - I just dropped WoW and I'm waiting for a few promising games to come out (Aion, Jumpgate, and Gathryn are on my radar). Funnily enough I've identified Bioshock and Mass Effect as interim games as well, but first I'm going to try to finish Spore and Dawn of War II, which I bought by never got very deep into due to my MMO addiction.
Guild Wars: Even though PvP is skill based, without cookie cutter "builds", you will likely to end up on the losing side. On the other hand, PvE is grind-safe and enjoyable, imho. The classes are flexible, level cap is low, attributes, armor and weapon stats are fixed, which is a huge plus (at leat for me).
Mass Effect: It's like KOTOR without lightsabers.
Bioshock: If you are into horror/creepy games, it's a must. Otherwise, it's still a pretty good buy.
With that being said, it will provide with a refreshing gaming experience (even if its a little short). I personally finished it a few weeks ago for the first time. It took me a single Bioshock marathon week end to finish it, but it was totally worth the effort.
Bioshock reminds us that storyline/suspense/ambiance are still key factors to make a successful game, and maybe it will help you get over that Meh feeling you get while playing SPRPGs .
Ps: the layout is great now, thanks 1!!
Bioshock's story is great.
Mass Effect...I have not played, but I hear it's quite a good game.
I wouldn't recommend GW unless you had friends to play with.
Looks like this weekend's plan is to get BioShock and supplement it with some Team Fortress 2! Thanks for the advice!
I'm in between primary MMOs as well. I was thinking about picking up TF2, and after reading the comments here, I'm off to go give it a shot.
closest to an MMO though is Mass Effect. It took me more than 50ish hours to beat it but i did every single side mission i could find and explored every planet as well.
I'm playing WAR a bit and going through Killzone 2 on the PS3... that's about all my game time.
It would still be worth buying Guild Wars, but keep it as a second preference.
4v4 in Guild Wars is indeed handy. I wouldn't worry about not having a guild, as you'll have your hands full adjusting to the learning curve just doing the random arenas. You can also quite easily do 12v12 with no guildies - "alliance battles"; you make a team of 4 and then get randomly paired with 2 other teams of 4 to make 12. I find those to be quite fun and usually play every couple of weeks or so with my girlfriend who enjoys them (i.e. broad range of skill levels can play).
The story of the first game (prophecies) is quite decent, but I found the story of the other expansions lacking (mainly in terms of my care factor; I don't actually know what the story was in those games).
Have not played Mass Effect and Bioshock.
Try Left 4 Dead if you want something completely new, it's freaking awesome.
HINT: MUME!
MUME... Hah, no way! I'd probably get rolled due to my link and terrible reflexes compared to all the uber Euros who haven't stopped playing since 199x! :P
Other than that, I don't know if you're a console gamer, but if you have a 360, try Lost Odyssey.
Bioshock is good and has a great story, even if it suffers from mute protagonist syndrome. The combat is good and allows for a wide variety of methods. Personally, I loaded up on every tonic and ability that boosted the effectiveness of the crowbar and beat everyone to death and stealthed, conserving valuable ammunition for the really tough moments.
To start, keep in mind that GW is totally not gear based, as most MMO's are. With GW, it's all about the skills you have unlocked. There are 1319 skills in the game, spread across the 10 professions. When you buy the game, you only have access to a limited amount of skills.
Whatever you do I suggest getting the Trilogy for $50 on steam. Remember that GW has no monthly fees, so the $50 is the only money you'll need to spend.
If your interest is in PvP, I would get some PvP skill unlock packs. Guild Wars has some standard PvP for everyone: RA (random arenas, 4v4), TA (team arenas, also 4v4) and HA (Hero's Ascent, 8v8 series of PvP face offs). The Factions chapter also gives you access to Alliance Battles (12v12 with 7 shrines to capture, but you have to be in a guild allied with a faction, but that's easy enough), as well as competitive missions like Jade Quarry and Fort Aspenwood. The last two are personally where I have spent most of my PvP time. Create a PvP only character and go to town.
If you're looking for PvE, start with a Nightfall character for the Heroes. They'll help a lot in soloing the PvE content, or make it easier to build PuGs that don't suck.
Mass Effect is pretty much a classic SRPG, with stats, gear, all that. I played on 360, but you may want to play it on the PC because they made some improvements to that version (like the equipment mgmt, which was torture on the 360) and also I think the DLC is free (360 costs). Not sure about the control difference, but 360 controls were good. Long game and good fun.
Bioshock is an awesome game that you have to play if you haven't already. It's a bit shorter, and although it's a FPS, it has a strong adventure component to it, as you solve puzzles and do a lot of exploring. It's also creepy as hell and has a very well written and carried out story. Reminds me I need to replay this soon...