Casual Play

This week I've had more of a chance to putter around with Onverse. It is strangely engaging and fun. I suppose it sort of feels like a more grown up Free Realms and a Younger Second Life. Then again it doesn't feel like either, that is just what I can compare it to. I'm always looking for different types of games and this one had really gotten past me, there isn't a huge amount of publicity and there are a LOT of these type of social games out there. They all promise tons of fun in a social setting, but at the end of the day offer a lack of things to do and a drama filled community. This one really caught my attention after taking a deeper look. I went through the tutorial wondering what the heck I was doing, playing this game, at the same time being quite intrigued. Something was there, a real spark struck with me when I got the feel of the game, looked around. It probably has to do with the background of the CEO, who came from the MMO industry. Onverse isn't mainstream and most MMO players probably wouldn't look at it twice because it isn't really a combat oriented game, more of a social game, at the same time there really is something fun there.

The game offers lots of fluff, which keeps players busy. You go out in the world to gather resources, which are used to buy items with. There are two currencies in the game PP (Player Points- A coin basically you gather in game to spend on items) and CC (Cash Coins- Real money currency). There is a lot to buy with both, I do admit the game offers quite a lot of cash items but there is still a ton of things you cannot get with just PP. You can convert CC to PP but not PP to CC. There are also lots of items that drop which you can sell or keep, such as cosmetic items, quest items and keys for the casino chests. Gathering resources is pretty much a meta game within itself. Gather then go off to to shop! You can buy clothing or housing, mounts or even pets, some are higher priced than others, it just depends on what you are aiming for.

Last night I decided to try my hand at a quest. The Elemental Planes quest chain, which was quite relaxing. I ended up making a nice pile of PP getting some neat items and progressing a bit with the quest. The goal is to finish it and acquire items such as mounts and cosmetic fluff. It gives players something to aim for, which I thought was a nice touch, while letting them explore different types of areas.

A few days ago my bother stopped by, I'm always showing them games I find. He took an interest and started playing as well. We're both huge Animal Crossing lovers, out of all of us who play we're the most into ACNL. So, we appreciate casual games full of fun fluffy activities and collecting. It has been great to have someone to share the game with. It is a game where you don't feel forced to log in, like you will miss something. You can pop back in whenever you want and get back to the business of playing without feeling like you have to play catch up. There are also games against other players such as Splatball, where you shoot other players and win PP. For those more PvP oriented, this is perfect. There are the quests, as well as jumping puzzles.

It is a sweet and very enjoyable game, a simple game. When it comes down to it, it is just about fun. The monthly fee is only 2.99 UDS a month, or you can opt for 1000 cash coins and a monthly sub for ten dollars. The CEO (and Lead Developer) is a former EQ2 dev, which I thought was pretty interesting because that's one of my favorite MMOs. I like to see just who is making my games and where they came from. It is always interesting when you dig around a bit, so I thought it was pretty neat.

Showing my bro around town.

Other than that I need to get back to WoW, since I'm still subbed. This year I'd like to hop around games a bit less. Ok, a LOT less. I am reallllly leaning towards the founders pack (not sure just which one) for Landmark, which sounds like it is headed out towards us in the form of closed beta quite soon. I think that is a game I could sink my teeth into EQN and even Landmark could be something I enjoy just as much.

In other news SOE is looking towards all in one sub, much like the current Station Pass (twenty bucks) except for 14.99 a month. You'll get subbed to all their games for what you'd pay to play one (currently). And EQN will be included. That looks like a fantastic deal. I'm pretty excited about this prospect. I'd probably play Vanguard and EQ2 on a regular basis if I had subs for both, add in EQN and that's one sweet deal.

Last but not least, I'm still going at it with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. I look forward to seeing what is available in the shops each day. I've opened up the second floor in the museum, which gives me four exhibit rooms to decorate, which is pretty awesome! Upgrading my house has been slow going at this point, I've put so much in it already and for now I'm looking to work on some projects for the town for a few days. It keeps me happy and busy.

I'm really glad I took the leap to playing a handheld. I really love my 3DS, it goes everywhere with me. Which is a nice bonus. I throw it in my backpack before I head out and get street passes most of the time when I go out. Right now McDonald's is a Gamezone, even the one at Wal-Mart will get you a few people if you walk by it. One of the nice things about living in a big city is you get a lot of street passes. Mostly kids, which leads to thoughts of... OMG a school bus, follow it! Just kidding. But it does seem more adults in Japan play these than do over here. I'm grown up enough to carry around my pink 3DS in public ;) Hello Kitty case and all!

That's it for today. Stay warm, peeps! I'm shivering here in Houston this morning where we sit at 27 degrees and hearing how much colder it is in other parts of the country. I suppose my computer can't complain... The heat here in Houston can be killer for them if you don't keep your place cool enough.