Off The Beaten Path- 2014

This year (and I suppose half of last year though I didn't realize it), I am wanting to trod a ways off the beaten path. I really want to spend more time with games that offer more things to do other than raiding. Different stuff.  And I do play many like this, I have for quite some time, but I'd like to focus more on those types of games. If you look around there are quite a few out there. I'm also really looking forward to seeing what comes out of the lineup for 2014, such as EverQuest (Next's) Landmark. How things change, if anything changes at all, really.

I find myself more drawn to games which just keep fun in mind. Those that offer more flexibility on things to do. Or perhaps fun is subjective, different activities to choose from, things to do that are different than what we normally do in MMO type games. I've really been burnt out on raiding and five man content being the main goal for my games. Not to say I don't enjoy these types of games, but a change is overdue and a vacation from the same ol' same ol' is nice. Not that I won't log into my old faves this year, but I plan on reaching out further, dip my toes into places across vast oceans, off into the far, far away, different worlds.

For the first half of WoW's MoP expansion, I mostly puttered around with leveling characters to 90, farming, factions, collecting things, trade skills and such. Then my brothers started and I wanted to keep up with them so I started raiding and grouping, the game changed a lot for me. It was still fun, but it was different than the little corner of the world I had kept myself buried in. Then they left, I did find myself with much better gear, which helps hugely on doing old content and daily quests, faction and such, but I also found myself falling back into my old habits, the things I started out doing. Though, doing these I don't get rewarded as well (not even close) but- The timeless isle helps some, which is a nice help especially for alts, so I cannot complain at this point.

The 3DS has been a real nice change for me. I look forward to the upcoming game Disney Magical World, which releases this year on April 11th. I am SO excited about that title. I'm not a huge Disney fan but the game looks amazing. If you're an Animal Crossing fan, this one will surely be of interest. I've watched footage of the Japanese version and I liked what I saw.

But back to MMO gaming. I've been enjoying Onverse immensely. There isn't really combat, per say, but there are goals, housing, fluff, a laid back world to explore. It really is just fun. That's my key goal for 2014, have fun with my games, not feel like I'm grinding for gear in yet another raid, another instance. I'm looking at a few other titles to pick up and putter around with, more on them as I do. I want to explore, build and just relax this year.

I look forward to seeing more MMO games come out with different directions to pursue, hopefully titles like EQN/Landmark will really change things. I also look forward to Trove, which seems sort of like Minecraft in an MMO setting, the idea seems... fun. I plan on supporting games that cater more to these styles of gaming, instead of flinging my money to those that produce the same thing in yet another boring shade grey. We'll see how it goes!