|
|
WHO AM I ? |
SITE
HISTORY |
|
 Name: Jim Squires
AKA: JimLad / JimLad800
DOB: 28/04/1986
Located: Reading, England
Likes: Console Gaming, MMO, Rock Music
Email: JimLad800@hotmail.com |
2001: Arr-JimLad.s5.com
|| A crappy blog thing
2002-2005: 8-Ball Media / 8BM Studios || Retro gaming & Music Videos
2006- : Arr-JimLad.com
|| Music Videos & Webcomics (hopefully)
|
|
CONSOLE
GAMING |
My gaming
preference is quite particular when it comes to console gaming. I tend
to head for mutliplayers and quick fix arcaders over single player based
games. Anything that can make me laugh also goes down well.
My fanboy allegiance has always, and most likely will always lie
with Nintendo. Partly because as a kid I wouldn't have had the money for
two machines plus the games, partly because I know Nintendo never
fails to bring fantastic games to the table, and partly because they
still care about the offline multiplayer scene.
However being born in 1986, I obviously wasn't around for the re-birth
and early rise of video games.
My first ever console was a Sega Master System II when I was five, and
I've loved video games ever since. |
|
MASSIVELY MULTIPLAYER
ONLINE GAMES |
MMOs are a
painful gaming genre to watch. In the past 10 years it has managed to
transform to 3D and then... move slowly backwards.
Now we seem stuck in an endless loop of grind and loot. The basic MMORPG
stereotype of medieval fantasy - warrior - archer - wizard - brave the
dungeon - level up - obtain the holy item - rinse and repeat has been
perfected by Blizzard and its World of Warcraft.
Now the time has come to move on. Massively Multiplayer Online worlds
are not bound to this setup.
Of course I don't mean the setting, there's nothing wrong with medieval
fantasy. It's the way the games are played and operate.
Systems like auto-targeting, dice roll damage, and player levels are
chaining this genre down to repetitive scenarios and strict world
boundaries. The games become more about time invested than skill
learning, and the players become like drones, following a set role path.
There is hope though, several development teams
fight for the cause. This space is dedicated to my personal favourites... |
|
MMOs I PLAY |
PLANETSIDE
Developer: Sony Online
Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
Status: Released with one expansion and many content additions.
Ł7.99/$14.99 per month
WEBSITE
Why I like it...
The best PvP MMO currently available, a one of a kind game.
Three empires at non-stop war, 24 hours a day, with a huge assortment of
weapons and vehicles. Hundreds of players at a time, fighting over land and
bases. Totally freestyle, play it any way you want.
Blitz800
- Werner Server - Terran Republic
|
VOYAGE CENTURY ONLINE
Developer:
Snail Game
Publisher: IGG
Status:
Released, free to play.
WEBSITE
Why I like it...
Very casual, very freestyle.
There are so many ways in this game to advance. You can be a pirate, a
soldier, a captain, an explorer, a merchant, a tradesman, a craftsman, a
fisherman, a farmer, a miner, a lumberjack.
The game features both ship play and foot play, with lots of places to
explore. It has a proper economy and a thriving mature player base.
JimLad - Columbus Server - Merchant Fisherman |
PERFECT WORLD
Developer:
Beijing Perfect World
Publisher:
Status: Game complete,
English version under translation
WEBSITE
Why I like it...
The closest thing to World of Warcraft without paying
money.
Territorial PvP, seiging, mounts, flight, and vast customisation.
High production value and familiar interface.
Quest orientated grind makes levelling easier.
JimLad - Oracle Server - Werebeast
|
DARKFALL
Developer: Aventurine
Publisher:
Status: Internal alpha testing, no
news on release predictions.
UPDATES
Why I like it...
First person shooter meets MMORPG.
Everything is twitch based, ground, mount, ship and siege combat.
There's no auto targeting, no dice roll, no combat queues, no floating name tags, no
zoning, no player levels, no classes, no 'uber' loot or equipment.
On top of all that it's also full PvP and full looting, meaning you can do absolutely anything.
|
STAR WARS GALAXIES EMULATOR
Developer: Sony
Online Entertainment/Lucas Arts/SWGemu.com
Status: Open source,
under development.
WEBSITE
Why I like it...
SWG used to be my favourite MMORPG with its profession
template system, endless customisation and richly deep player driven
economy.
This was of course until it was ruined by the 'Combat Upgrade' and then
ruined again by the New Game Enhancements.
Thankfully though, some generous people are reversing the game patches to
form a working version of 'pre-cu' Star Wars Galaxies.
|
JUMPGATE EVOLUTION
Developer:
Net Devil
Publisher:
Status: Accepting beta
applications
WEBSITE
Why I like it...
EvE Online but without the boring.
A twitch based (hands on control) space sim.
PvP, PvE, resource gathering and trade.
|
| |
|
