Online Shenanigans

*Presses Start*

First off, Megan's on a roll, isn't she? Give her a hand! *claps*

Now to the good stuff.

Nowadays PSN and Xbox Live are a gamers second home. It makes you feel welcome. Accepted. Quaint. Playing online with millions of people across the world, making them all eat whatever you can dish out, it's a phenomenal experience that people around the world lose sleep over.

I can't stand it.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not a hermit, nor would I like my online systems disabled by any means. There are certain aspects of being online that I'm thankful for. I have friends everywhere that playing online is the only means of playing. However, I usually only play with friends. Not because I love my friends. Not because I love the netcode of the games.

It's because, by nature, human beings are assholes.

Playing online almost ruined my MVC3 playing because of the way people play (And still do) and it would get so frustrating and so ridiculous that the game that I waited to play for 10 years, I dropped in 2 months. It took a lot of convincing from friends to get back on the wagon and actually start playing, but now, I've limited it to just friends. I know we've all had that situation. Playing a game online just to run into that one person who needs to hit that instant win button. They make the game generally unendurable and maybe it's just my luck, but from Marvel to Madden to Modern Warfare, There's always that one.

On top of the online douchebaggery, The world wide web has never been the greatest place for competitive gaming. Some gamers will still get on with their dial up internet creating some of the slowest games ever. Lag is a terrible problem. It doesn't help the concentration when your game play looks like a slideshow. On top of all this, there are people to exploit this. Lag Switches are devices that temporarily disconnects you from the internet, and quickly connects you back. When happens, the person on the other end sees everything either in slow motion or catches the action in quick bursts, allowing the lag switcher to outmaneuver and do whatever is it to do to you to get the upper hand. It's a cheap way to get the win.

There's a ton more to talk about, like boosting, rapidfire, disconnecting, hacking, aimbots, exploits, etc, but then I'd be here all day. The main point that I'd like to bring up is there's nothing like having friends getting together and playing. Sure, I could play them online, but there's a certain feeling that you get when you've got your friends there. One of the best experiences I've had is getting friends together to play "X-Men Legends" when it dropped years ago. We were up all night, and then some. So much gaming. Same thing with Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Multiplayer madness. Does anyone else remember Gauntlet? Get some friends and play some couch co-op! Go outside, make a friend so you can go back inside and be hermits. Besides, can you picture playing Mario Party 8 with a lag switcher? Geez.

Also, as a final note, back in May (or June?) , I made a post talking about Hollywood staying out of my video game movies. The post was sparked at the realization that they were making a Phoenix Wright movie. I blew it off, saying it was going to be dumb. The trailer was leaked on YouTube. I was wrong. It actually looks damn good. Go check it out. There's not many times I'm wrong about game movies. Hopefully, This will be enough to make me eat crow.

Continue?

Confessions of a MMORPG n00b

I'm not Exactly a n00b to MMORPG's, I just don't play them all that often. I experimented with text based ones on my old Apple2. I have Guild Wars, I anticipate Guild Wars 2. I've played the trial versions of World of Warcraft, because I was too young at the time to even consider affording the monthly payments. When I was 17 I considered getting Final Fantasy 11, but other singleplayer games caught my attention first. I'm not adverse to trying out new MMORPG's, looking for a good one, and I learn how to level up and take quests fairly quickly. I've found a new one to play, FTP on Steam in fact, and I've become a little bit addicted to it.

Forsaken World is what I'm playing. When I first opened it to play it I played it for three hours and found myself at level 13 when I left the 'tutorial' world. Another four hours later and I'm sitting pretty at level 22 as I type this up. I will admit that I spent a lot of time just exploring the harbor and trying to remember where all the different merchants were, and where I could go to buy something other than just 'basic weapons'. I'm ready to graduate from basic I feel.

But I do have a fatal flaw when it comes to playing MMO's, and it's kind of a big one. If I don't have any other friends playing the same game, I won't join or start parties. The problem probably stems from growing up as an only child and never really playing any multi-player games. The most multiplayer action I got was playing Super Mario Bros. 3 with my best friend when we were single digits. So I've never really felt comfortable finding random people and starting a party. Unless a quest or instance requires it, I will do everything alone. There was one time playing Guild Wars that I was invited to a party, and on a whim I accepted. I was a lower level than everyone else, and I was still exploring new abilities and actions that I could do. I was not as good as the others and not too long after I found myself traveling alone again.

I think what I'll have to do is explore the forums, become part of the community, for I want to make my Kindred Vampire awesome, and I'd like to join a Guild soon. I'm going to do what I never did what I was younger. I'm going to learn how to play MMORPG's the way they were meant to be played, with other players. Wish me luck. But, until then, I'm going to continue knitting Harry Potter scarves and crocheting Sailor Moon amigurumi's. The life of a nerd is never slow.