![\"A](\"http:\/\/greywolfe.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/gw_mmo_reviews_friends.png\")
<\/a>When I pick up a MMO, I am typically interested in a couple of very particular things:\u00a0 I like it best when the \u201cperennial game\u201d is either a fantasy-based game with spells and magic.\u00a0 My preference runs towards being able to make magicians \u2013 particularly if there\u2019s a shape-changing mechanic tied in there somewhere.\u00a0 [Natural animals are best.]<\/p>\n
I love games that are stylized in some way.\u00a0 Lots of people refer to these as \u201cgames that look cartoony,\u201d but I find that these \u201cless real\u201d graphics actually enhance the fantasy aspect.\u00a0 Plus, they often lead to very saturated coloure palettes and I find that far more appealing than the muddy brown that was going around the first person shooter genre like a plague a few years ago.<\/p>\n
The other kind of game I love in this particular vein is the collectible card game.\u00a0 There has always been something to traditional turn-based games that you cannot find in faster paced games.\u00a0 That pleasant slowness of strategizing that leads to a plan well executed.<\/p>\n
This speed issue tends to worm it\u2019s way into the MMO\u2019s I play, too.\u00a0 I generally prefer that they are slower, tab-targeted affairs.\u00a0 I\u2019m not really here to show how good my reflexes are.\u00a0 I\u2019m here to relax and have fun.\u00a0 Twitch-based games rarely ever work for me.<\/p>\n
How I Generally Play<\/h2>\n![\"A](\"http:\/\/greywolfe.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/gw_mmo_reviews_login-150x150.png\")
<\/a>Uhhhhhh. What are my login details again?!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nI try to put a couple of hours a day into a game like this, and I attempt to see all the systems available to me as a SINGLE player.\u00a0 This is very important.\u00a0 While group activities do make for fun diversions, they are problematic in the sense that I am not \u2013 by-and-large a people\u2019s person.\u00a0 If I can\u2019t do the greater bulk of the content solo, I\u2019m not likely to be engaged to a point where I can write an informed opinion piece on that game.<\/p>\n
My intent is also to sink a fair amount of time into the game before making any kind of statements about it.\u00a0 This means staying the course until the level cap is reached or until about three-or-so months have passed, whichever comes first.<\/p>\n
Things I Strongly Dislike<\/p>\n
Most modern MMO\u2019s are now built around the idea of a cash shop.\u00a0 While I do not like the concept of cash shops, [I feel that there are far more ethical ways of getting money from your players] some behaviours irk me more than others.<\/p>\n
Games that I will avoid as a result of cash-shop policies:<\/p>\n
\n- Games that sell power.<\/li>\n
- Games that sell lockboxes. [I refuse to participate in gambling.]<\/li>\n
- Games that sell cosmetic items [don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m going to elaborate on this in a moment.]<\/li>\n
- Games that sell \u201ctimed items.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Free-to-play games that try to \u201ctrick\u201d you into spending money\/monetize nearly everything.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Let\u2019s talk about cosmetics for a second.\u00a0 Lots of people seem to have no problem with cosmetics being up for grabs.\u00a0 Strictly speaking, I don\u2019t have a problem with this if<\/em>:\u00a0 there Is some way to earn this item in the game.\u00a0 Cosmetic items may not be content to you, but they are content to someone.\u00a0 Automatically locking someone out because \u201cit\u2019s just cosmetics\u201d has always felt like a cop-out.\u00a0 Most would certainly feel rather differently if raids and the like were treated the same way.<\/p>\nI strongly prefer buy-to-play models than free-to-play ones, because I feel that this is the most fair way of getting a perennial game into the hands of players:\u00a0 they pay once, have access to everything and subsidize the creation of further expansions through buying the box.<\/p>\n
Expansions<\/h2>\n
<\/a>I try to put a couple of hours a day into a game like this, and I attempt to see all the systems available to me as a SINGLE player.\u00a0 This is very important.\u00a0 While group activities do make for fun diversions, they are problematic in the sense that I am not \u2013 by-and-large a people\u2019s person.\u00a0 If I can\u2019t do the greater bulk of the content solo, I\u2019m not likely to be engaged to a point where I can write an informed opinion piece on that game.<\/p>\n
My intent is also to sink a fair amount of time into the game before making any kind of statements about it.\u00a0 This means staying the course until the level cap is reached or until about three-or-so months have passed, whichever comes first.<\/p>\n
Things I Strongly Dislike<\/p>\n
Most modern MMO\u2019s are now built around the idea of a cash shop.\u00a0 While I do not like the concept of cash shops, [I feel that there are far more ethical ways of getting money from your players] some behaviours irk me more than others.<\/p>\n
Games that I will avoid as a result of cash-shop policies:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Games that sell power.<\/li>\n
- Games that sell lockboxes. [I refuse to participate in gambling.]<\/li>\n
- Games that sell cosmetic items [don\u2019t worry, I\u2019m going to elaborate on this in a moment.]<\/li>\n
- Games that sell \u201ctimed items.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Free-to-play games that try to \u201ctrick\u201d you into spending money\/monetize nearly everything.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Let\u2019s talk about cosmetics for a second.\u00a0 Lots of people seem to have no problem with cosmetics being up for grabs.\u00a0 Strictly speaking, I don\u2019t have a problem with this if<\/em>:\u00a0 there Is some way to earn this item in the game.\u00a0 Cosmetic items may not be content to you, but they are content to someone.\u00a0 Automatically locking someone out because \u201cit\u2019s just cosmetics\u201d has always felt like a cop-out.\u00a0 Most would certainly feel rather differently if raids and the like were treated the same way.<\/p>\n
I strongly prefer buy-to-play models than free-to-play ones, because I feel that this is the most fair way of getting a perennial game into the hands of players:\u00a0 they pay once, have access to everything and subsidize the creation of further expansions through buying the box.<\/p>\n
Expansions<\/h2>\n