Nostalgia

As time goes on I often finding myself wandering backwards, looking for games that offer more classic combat with simple systems. Sure I try all the new stuff, it seems the shiny seems to wear off quickly in a world where action combat is becoming more popular but causes me to log off and putting on a wrist brace. Or the games I once loved have really taken a direction I don't care for. Today I thought I'd share some of the games I've been dabbling with while touching on that nostalgic feeling I miss.


The longer I play it seems the less there is each year to fall back on. Vanguard SoH is long gone, the emulator server is still in testing, I think they had a wipe just a week or two ago. So that isn't a real option quite yet. While that was one of my favorites that I got a late start in, I still look for little gems I passed over that are still there, still trucking along in a world that seems to have stood still as other games keep coming and going.

Over the last couple of weeks I have tried a few different games, digging way back into the lands of old graphics where the nostalgia hits you with older graphics, simpler game-play, enjoying a world where I don't know anything instead of playing alt number 35423648972340 in a game I have played for years, that will probably be deleted for another, long forgotten in a week. Sure, I will learn these new systems, I will learn the zones, but it is so refreshing to just feel like a fresh newbie knowing nothing about the journey ahead, peeking around each corner and feeling excited about it.

First off on the list is DDO. If you have been reading here over the years you may remember reading about it here very briefly. I took a dive in when it released and then I don't know what happened. I needed to look at the post and those around it to see what pulled me away from it. A little over eight years ago, almost as old as this blog is, in the early weeks or so when I started it up. It looks like I was trying out lots of things, Champions Online, then I remember Aion around then, AoC and I was still playing WoW then pretty avidly. I suppose Dungeons & Dragons Online sort of just got pushed out of the scene as more stuff kept creeping up and WoW was still pretty shiny and fun back then.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to play, but there were new classes. Well, not really new, maybe five years ago they were, but new to me. Interesting classes with fun looking builds. Pet classes! Hirelings to help if I need and places I have not yet explored. Which is odd because I played a lot of Neverwinter over the years. Maybe it was the heavily instanced feel of the game. It sort of reminds me of Guild Wars or Dragon Nest. But less action than DN and you can jump and climb unlike the characters in GW. It is dated looking but I find that rather charming, doesn't bother me really. The puzzles seem to suck me in, I found Dire over my shoulder last night  and then he was helping me with one before I logged off for bed. Looking around and taking my time has been really fun. Add a mechanical dog that has a hatred for boxes, who busts all the boxes urns and the like (wish Diablo had this feature) and it really feels like there are some hooks there for my playstyle. Like when the pet is summoned it says things in all caps, or he runs over and sits at a shrine to heal up with Zzzzz over his head. I suppose it is the little things that make you really like a game.

The combat is pretty quick and easy at the low levels, which is where I am at. I am even thinking about subbing because I want to play some of the premium classes, besides the one premium class I have, the Artificer. The druid looks really cool, the warlock.... And many others. It does take some time to complete dungeons and objectives sometimes, I think that was the initial drawback but I have fun and if I have to hop off it isn't a huge deal to head back. I would kick myself for not playing sooner except I have found something that is new to me, that gives that nostalgia hit that I crave. Might as well enjoy it while I can. Definitely will be playing this several times a week at the very least. And since it was pulled over with SSG with the transition from Turbine I'm thinking it still has some life left in it yet.

Another game I picked up was an older title as well, Champions of Regnum. This is more of a Realm vs Realm game, and while I am not a huge PvP player, I figured what do I have to lose puttering around with it. The game still has a team that actively works on it, smoothing out bugs and adding content, they are working on a rewards system for players currently. There is a player base, but with three factions and two different servers (Spanish? and English) the player population isn't as big as it once was. There are still people who play, the forums seem active. While I have not seen many people in the low level areas it still was enjoyable to play.

The combat feels classic, you turn on active combat then you will attack, while it is similar to the auto-attack button, you need to enable it to cast and have auto attack to work, like make your staff shoot. It just felt different. Overall I like the game, the combat is solid and engaging, while being slower paced. A nice little gem and another game I know very little about. If anything it is something fun to pick up and play just to experience new places and do something different.

I also downloaded Shroud of The Avatar, since it has a free trial until July 26, I have not gotten too far in it, but it seems to have potential. It also has that old school feeling, so that will definitely stay on my radar, especially when they release more races. A game with potential in active development with a classic feeling, if you're looking for something like that this one is a good choice too. It just requires you to buy it, unlike the other two I've mentioned.

Tomorrow D3 has a new season out, which I plan on working through with Dire, given my hand doesn't fall off from all the clicking, lol. And FINALLY Rift's patch is coming out tomorrow too. I have been waiting ages on this and hope this has some real meat to it. I really want to play Rift more regularly. I noticed the prices on mats that I sell going cheaper and cheaper, some sell more to the vendor than on the auction house, which is really bad. Making money in this expansion has been a struggle since the prices bottomed out. There are not many daily quests to farm wither, so I am hoping for more in that area. I'm excited though, can't wait to log on tomorrow and explore the new zone with my real character!

And in case you didn't hear Yonder has released on steam today. Ohhh I want to play this, it looks so cute and relaxing! An explorers dream. It has raving reviews on steam too. I'll have to check this out sooner than later. That's it for today, safe adventures!