Despite the MMORPG scene being currently dominated by the juggernaut known as World of Warcraft, other game companies are looking to try to steal some of those subscribers. This year, licensed MMORPGs are the new trend, with Star Trek Online, DC Online, and Star Wars: The Old Republic all on the way. The first one of these to come out of the gate, Star Trek Online, sadly falls into the usual pitfall of licensed games. Its creators expected it to sell solely on name recognition and thus, did not put any effort into the game.

Instead, Trekkies (or Trekkers for the easily offended) found themselves playing a fairly standard MMORPG without any of that Star Trek magic in it. In the end, Star Trek Online is a fairly typical space MMORPG that doesn’t stack up to older, more established MMOs like Eve Online. The combat is shallow and un-rewarding, exploring is made to be almost idiot-proof thus making it insulting to seasoned MMO players, and missions are so cookie-cutter that it makes leveling your character even less fun.

In order to pry gamers away from their World of Warcraft mounts, developers need to take their MMO to a new level. They need to try new things and satisfy the fans of the license along with fans of MMORPGs. Star Trek Online doesn’t do this NOW, but time will tell if the game will actually improve to be an experience worth a monthly subscription.

Hotel Dusk Room 215 was a great graphic adventure game for the DS. The puzzles were fun, the graphics were artistic, and the storyline was memorable. It struck enough of a chord with gamers to create new fans of the genre. When it was announced that its developer, Cing, was going to make another graphic adventure game for the DS, their fans got excited over the prospect of a new game to sink their stylus into.

That game was Again, and it simply sucked. The graphics were horrible, the gameplay was stupid, the plot was all over the place, and in the end, it just was not fun or intriguing. Instead of being a killer title like Hotel Dusk, we were given a painful joke of a game. It stinks.

A sign of a truly great game is one that is still being played years after its release. The 1999 version of Aliens vs. Predator is a textbook example. Over a decade later, it is still being played for its insane game modes and awesome multiplayer. It took everything that fans of the franchise wanted and put it all together so well that many thought it would be a hard act to follow...and it is, because the AVP games that have come and gone since have been utter failures.

2010’s AVP is no exception. It failed on so many different aspects it ended up being a lackluster title. There are high points of legitimate fun and excitement, but in between those moments is way too much drivel to slog through. With the exception of the Colonial Marines, the single-player campaigns were dull and a pain to play through. Thank God they’re short. Then there is the multiplayer which is neither fun nor interesting. All in all, the game is a big mess sending fans back to a game that is over A DECADE old.

The first Bioshock game was simply amazing. I know there are some System Shock fanboys that will not agree, but even they simply can’t deny the awesomeness of Bioshock. Bioshock changed how we look at the narrative in video games.

Bioshock 2 was painful to play because of that one constant nagging question: Why? Why was this game made? Why did 2K Marin try to add to a storyline that was already perfect? Why did they throw in goddamn multiplayer?? WHY WHY WHY?! The game wasn’t �bad� but it was just so unnecessary. All you can think about while playing is: �This is nowhere near as good as Bioshock was!�

You have the hero who is a Big Daddy, the first Big Daddy, who is hardly the hulking brute that you’d expect from a Big Daddy. Weapons and plasmids are more of the same not really making anything special. Then there’s the cramming of philosophy down your throat. In Bioshock 1, the philosophy in the game was Objectivism developed by author Ayn Rand. Throughout the game, you were given messages about it, but it didn’t come to a point until when you meet up with Andrew Ryan. After beating the game, gamers flocked to the internet to learn more, and that's where they learned about Ayn Rand, Objectivism, and her books. Now in Bioshock 2, it was so obvious that Communism was the focus. However, instead of it being a realization that gamers came to on their own after playing, it was smashed into your face all the time again and again losing that magic of discovery thus cheapening the story. Speaking of cheapening, the multiplayer itself is so asinine. It was clearly added-on at the last minute without any real purpose other than to say �Hey we have multiplayer too!�

Before I get crucified onto a cross made up of buster swords, let me say that I was not disappointed by this game. To me, FF13 is a natural progression in the Final Fantasy series, in keeping with the traditions that have been a staple of the franchise. There was a bit of experimentation with some of the gameplay, but I wasn’t going in expecting Square Enix to change everything in order to keep up with the current batch of popular RPGs (mainly from the West). So yes, for me, it wasn’t disappointing.

That said, FF13 was a HUGE disappointment for many people. We are talking about a franchise that is beloved by many. A series that started many people on gaming, and is one of the most popular series in the world. However, so many people were disappointed by this game on so many levels, that it has single-handedly killed the series for many fans. Whether it’s the gameplay or the storyline, there are lots of people that simply did not like this game. That is saying a lot for a Final Fantasy game. Out of the Final Fantasy games that have been released since FF6, it is the lowest rated of them all excluding spin-offs and FF11.

Then again, maybe fans have changed the way they look at RPGs. After all, Western RPGs have become a popular genre, particularly with console gamers. Perhaps Final Fantasy fans only have eyes for their first love, and don’t want to expand their horizons. Anyway you look at it, FF13 disappointed many gamers.

- Oscar Gonzalez

Send your comments to the author og@original-gamer.com

8/09/10