What Next?

Okay I feel like it’s time to find a new PC game. Company of Heroes has gotten old. I finished the single player campaign and I’ve played enough skirmishes to have a pretty good record against the AI. So now what? I’ve been thinking maybe it’s time for another MMO.

I’ve been hearing a lot about Tabula Rasa lately (mostly from G4TV’s MMO Report, which is my new favorite Internet show (technically it’s my only favorite Internet show ever)), which was just released November 1. It sounds pretty cool… I like the concept of the tree-style classes, and it would be my first science fiction MMO. It’s tempting to grab a copy, but unfortunately it would involve driving to a store, a commitment of well over 30 minutes, and shelling out $50. Also, it costs $15 a month. I think. Concrete information on the monthly fee is very hard to find. Also, it’s an MMO, which means I’d probably be trying to do everything solo where the game is intended to be played by “groups” and “guilds” and “friends” and crap like that.

Update: Beta reviews have not been kind to Tabula Rasa. Basically they are saying it’s yet another grind-fest, which has given me great pause.

Lord of the Rings Online is a possibility, though I would be coming into it over six months late. On the plus side, that means I wouldn’t have to shell out as much money for the initial purchase (there’s even a 7-day free trial on the site). I’ve always been curious about LoTRO because it’s a Turbine game, and I have fond memories of Asheron’s Call. Again, though, I think it’s a $15/month commitment.

I’m still looking forward to Warhammer Online, but it’s nowhere near release yet. (Also, I will have to get over my general distaste for EA Games before I can even think about purchasing it.)

Perhaps I’ll wait a while before my next MMO.

Not exactly an MMO, but I saw that, this weekend, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is on sale at Steam. I’m downloading the demo right now. From reading over the web site, it sounds suspiciously like a hyped-up version of Tribes, which I admit was enjoyable… back in 1999. We’ll see how the demo looks. (It has the distinct advantage of being downloadable on Steam.)

Update: Okay I’ve played the demo… it’s not a hyped-up version of Tribes, it’s a hyped-up version of Return to Castle Wolfenstein. Sort of a combination of a shooter and a team-based strategy game. Also an enjoyable game… back in 2002. Also - typical of id software-related games - it takes some impressive hardware specs to run at full speed.

Update: Okay I’m officially going with Enemy Territory: Quake Wars as my next game, since I’m not sick of the demo after a day. That means I should be able to get a few weeks of entertainment out of it.