December - January Events (MMO Holiday Events)

Merry Christmas.. err Winter Veil.. err Frostfell.. err.. Bah it's too early for Merry anything yet! December holds promise for a lot of great Holiday Events! This is a work in progress so keep checking in! There really are not a ton of events listed on many sites yet. I am a fiend for all things holiday so if you are looking for some fun events I'm sure more will pop up as the month goes on, I like to list fun holiday events each month as I find out about them. Enjoy!
 

December  
World of Warcraft : Feast of Winter Veil. December 15th - January 2nd. Gift giving: Starts: December 25th Ends: January 2nd. This is a really fun event. Quests, achievements, snowmen, Metzen the reindeer, winter bosses for a chance at the coveted Winter Hats.. and presents!! Each yeah (well since last year) there is a new type of present under the tree. I wonder what this year's will be?! A very merry holiday event!

Everquest 2: Frostfell. Fun instances, quests, holiday items and decorations! Frostfell Wonderland Village is a really great part of this event. Holiday outfits, snowballs, food, house items. This is a truly fantastic event.

Wonderland Online: Warm and Fuzzy Christmas Events I. November 30th -December 6th. Winter's here and with it comes the holidays! That's right! Everyone's favorite time of year is here and Santa is preparing gifts for all! In the spirit of this time of giving, WLO has prepared a series of events for all our dear players, whether they're naughty or nice!

Runes of Magic: Christmas time is coming to Taborea. We have put in place a host of special events and offers to put Runes of Magic fans in a proper holiday spirit. In mid-December, we will launch the in-game Snowflake Festival, which will give the game world a truly festive look. With the release of daily quests, you will be able to play for gifts. You can even use Festive furniture and Christmas tree seeds to decorate your in-game houses. Also don't miss the cool Advent Calendar.

Aion: The Solorius Festival. This looks like a neat event. From the official website: "The Solorius Festival is not only one of the year’s most anticipated events, but also one of the oldest. Its origin dates back to before the Cataclysm. It is a festival of communion, sharing, and appreciation. Wealth and status are set aside each year as families make diligent preparations in advance to honor the ascended. Many Atreians travel to a capital city to immerse themselves in the festivities."

Champions Online: Attack of the misfit toys.  Confront and defeat Black Harlequin. New costume pieces, action figures and perks. Tis the season for spreading good will and good cheer, And to celebrate the holidays, The Toymaster’s here! Looks to be very exciting! Lots of nifty rewards listed on the official site.


DDO: Festivult. The Jester of the Festivult is now available in the game! He's looking for your copper, silver, and gold festival coins to exchange for wondrous festive treats!

Fallen Earth: First Night. December 14 - Jan 1. First Night is a holiday celebration that incorporates many of the traditions from holidays past. Players in the mood to spread holiday cheer can make their way to the various First Night mission hubs scattered throughout the wasteland. I'm dreaming of a wasteland Christmas! This could be fun!

Warhammer: Keg End. December 16 - Jan 1. A festive extravaganza packed with great new items, monsters, events and challenges for players to master. Keg End is filled with the things Dwarfs like best - Beer, Boasting and things that explode. Looks great!

LoTRO: Yule Festival. Looks to be fun filled check out the link to read more about it in the developers diary.

Lineage 2: Raising Rudolph. This event is really unique, you get to raise your own Rudolph and get a reward for it. Santa will also be handing out presents. I want my own Rudolph!

Guild Wars: Wintersday. Lots of Holiday fun. Can you feel that crisp chill in the air? It's that time of year when the cities of Tyria shine like beacons with festive decor, and the gods Dwayna and Grenth fight over who will control the weather during the coming months. Holiday vendors sell seasonal treats, and the air is full of snowballs and the sound of laughter. Wintersday is almost here!

Free Realms:  Snow Days. FR has had a major patch along with this. Tons of great things to check out including housing! This is looking to be really exciting!


Massively has an extensive list for those games I've missed. Be sure to check it out!


January
World of Warcraft: New Years. December 31st - January 1st. Fireworks, Food and Revelers! Ring in the new year in Azeroth!




Today is my Birthday so-- Merry Happy Birthday to me! The most important event of all, right?!

-kaozz

Do we need another 'X' MMO?

I sometimes wonder, do we really need another 'X' MMO game. What I mean is, do we need another Star Wars when there already is one. Another super hero game when there's already two out now? How many super hero games do we need, what is going to make the new one more interesting to players? Are these companies saying the previous games were not as good as they could do them?

Everyone wants to make a big hit, they promise bigger and better, but honestly how many types of the same game do we need. Sometimes it feels like a copy of a copy of a copy. Then there's the games that make a sequel to compete with their own games. Everquest 2, I was seriously let down when I heard about this game. It to me meant a decline on the first, which at the time I was really into still. Years later I'm actually happy playing it, though it took years for me to get over that. I suppose it's different when it's within the same company, you know the lore will be there, the things you liked in the first place.

Why do game companies make new games to compete with what they already have? In the same genre I mean, is it really to compete with the newer games out? I think that was the intention with Everquest 2. I think it's the same intent for NCSoft with Guild Wars 2. If Aion isn't a hit, they know people liked Guild Wars, they can always fall back on that.

When do companies realize what they have is good, well liked, popular enough to keep chugging along? Sometimes they seem to move on and leave the games that put them on the map, to fade away quietly. Take DAoC for instance, the game still receives updates, however to me it feels neglected when you compare it to Mythic's shiny new game WAR. No more expansions. But do older games really need more expansions? Look at Everquest. S.O.E. was wise enough not to make that mistake when the shiny new game came out. People still like the older games, Everquest is proof of this. Obviously it's still doing well enough to keep putting out an expansion each year.

I also wonder at the alternative ideas companies use, take the upcoming Star Treak MMO for instance. Who really is interested in this type of game? I've read about it, seen many articles, but nobody seems really hyped. Is it to widen an audience? It sure would be a trekkie's dream. I as a gamer have no interest in it though. Maybe that's just me.

Look at some of the niche games out. How about those PvP aimed games. Which of those is really a big hit. I'm not saying they are not doing well. Out of the all of them I would say Aion. But why? From my perspective it draws in PvE players due to the style of play we start out with. How many of those PvE players really stuck with it though?  They are niche games, you have to simply like PvP a lot to play them. Why do companies limit themselves after seeing the previous company flounder with this type of game? People say they love PvP. How come Fury didn't make it? It was strictly PvP. I thought it would be a PvP dream? Simply put, niche games don't offer to a big enough audience.

I sometimes wonder do many of these companies really pay attention to what the customers even like or want? No, I'm not saying we need another WoW! It seems a lot of companies compare success to this game. 

Just some thoughts I had recently. Feel free to comment.
-kaozz

So many choices, where are you adventuring? (MMO)

I'm thinking more and more that Everquest 2 is the place I will set up camp, for awhile at least. I've hopped around to this and that with some of the new releases and just have not been so immersed in any of them as I am currently. I may not always write about the most popular or the new shiny game out there. I have to keep myself interested as well. Sometimes it's just all a pile of shiny crap anyhow. All that glitters isn't gold, try scratching the surface and see what's really there. But we have to find out for ourselves sometimes, right?

I'm sure it's not going to be the only game I play as I tend to flutter around from this to that. For now I really want to settle down for awhile though. I had said Aion was going to be the new thing for me, then I realized it wasn't a game that appealed to my gaming style. Beautiful but not enough depth for me. I had tried to get back into WoW briefly since my husband went back. My son got bored once again and I ended up playing less and less. I just can't stomach anymore of that game at this time. Maybe the expansion will liven things up for me.

It seems there are so many options to so many play styles. You just have to find what suits you. I end up playing alone mostly these days, I hope to make more friends. I don't mind soloing. I'm hoping I can convince the husband to pick it back up too. I'm going to try at least! I've found a nice guild, so I have people to talk to, I end up answering questions at times even though I'm the returning newb!

There are so many great games out there, it's tough to choose. I read a lot of really nice MMO blogs and love hearing about what others are playing and their thoughts. It seems so many people play multiple games. There are a few I read that are focused on one game in particular. How about you? Do you enjoy sticking tried and true to your game? Or do you enjoy having a variety? Or have you even had a hard time picking which you like the best? Where are you adventuring these days?

I'm fixing to head out for a bite to eat with the family, safe adventures to you wherever you may be playing!
-kaozz

Day of the Dead.. (MMO)

Today and Tomorrow in WoW it's Day of the Dead. There's a couple of cool things you can do like get the achievement and acquire a marionette pet (a tiny skeleton, you can see him in the screen shot above). Sadly the pet is only usable on Day of the Dead. My husband keeps asking me to play some WoW this week. I may spend some time on it later this week. I was thinking of working on the rogue or paladin.

For now I'm still trying to hit some more levels in EQ2. I'm still sort of lost as I advance. Some things are starting to come back. Sometimes I have to hunt around for a quest or look it up on Zam or the EQ2wiki. I'm not very familiar with these areas. Once I get rolling it's lots of fun. Last night I noticed I had several rewards to claim. A few items for the house and my one year Veteran reward! I liked that one a lot, the title 'The Loyal'. I end up soloing a lot, my guild is leagues away in levels and always seem busy. The people I played with have not been on in so long. Maybe as I level I will make some more friends.

EQ2 isn't as mainstream as WoW but it's really fun and solid. It offers rewarding things to the players, heirloom items, pets, fun spells, housing, titles, achievements, guild halls, appearance tabs and more. The appearance tab is really great. Finally a game I can have a look I want and keep it. No more mismatched armor, or wearing something that looks really silly but has great stats.

In Free Realms I've gotten some really nifty things from the sponsored items claims. I just got a doggy fairy suit last night which is adorable. I haven't had too much time to play but I hop on for a few each day to do this or that. I really wish they would hurry it up with the housing!

So that's it for today, nothing else new worth mention. Till next time!
-kaozz