Another week has come and gone … it seems like time flies much more quickly since I started writing these weekly summaries! And what a week this has been, not only has TERA launched, but there was some excitement as a long-rumored Elder Scrolls MMORPG was announced. For years, Bethesda has been denying there will ever be a TES MMO, but it seems the temptation was too sweet to pass up and we shall soon have one! I’m of mixed minds about it, I’ll admit. Several years ago I would have jumped in excitement, but I haven’t enjoyed any of the Elder Scrolls games since Morrowind so the prospect of an MMO based on the current state of the series leaves me somewhat uninterested. But I’ll definitely be watching in case I’m surprised.
I was reflecting last week that we were in a sort of golden age of gaming, the announcement of a TES MMORPG seems to continue that trend. Guild Wars 2, The Elder Scrolls, Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 … a lot of heavy hitting franchises are on the horizon. I’m wondering, will we be seeing more announcements for MMORPGs and sequels for other games? Personally, I’d love to hear there was a Yakuza MMO in the works, although I suspect I’m doomed to disappointment there. But next week my enthusiasm will return – keep an eye out, I’ll be reporting on The Secret World‘s first public beta weekend! And on with the show!
- Mike has spent his time immersed in Guild Wars 2 and TERA. He gave his impressions of GW2‘s World vs. World and then compared it with TERA combat.
- Randy reported on Ensemble Online, an up and coming RTS by indie developer SemiFormal Studios. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on this one!
- It’s always sad to see games being cancelled, especially when they look as interesting as this one did. Pitchblack Games canceled Dominus.
- Lots of TERA news! iTZKooPA collected lots of information for those looking to read as it downloaded. There’s a new trailer, and Mike gave his first impression.
- Mordil returned, hyped up with excitement for TERA as well as his own game. Check it out and send him some encouragement!
- Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls… Heartbourne announced the announcement, Mike found the trailer, wondered why fans grumbled about it, and dug up a wealth of information. I don’t want to be intrigued, but non-instanced dungeons makes my crusty old-timer’s heart go pitterpat!
For people that love RTS and MMO games we have some news for you. SemiFormal Studios’, an indie game developer, is busy developing a browser-based game called Ensemble Online. SemiFormal is gunning for lots of diversity with it, giving players the option to build a camps with defensive towers and farms for food, as well as giving the option to go out in the wild and kill mobs to level up. They also emphasis multiplayer by giving the option to work together with friends and build villages together.
