WoW is a seductive beast.

World of Warcraft is evil. I'd just like to get that out there. I played for a good four years almost non-stop, with only small week or two breaks here and there, and finally about 6/7 months ago quit.

I've been doing good. Now I'm not bashing anyone who likes WoW, each their own and all that, it is after all a fairly good game if you can get passed it's community of retards.

It's just I found it was the only game I was playing, I'd hardly play anything else, instead of reading a book, I'd play WoW, instead of watching a movie, I'd play WoW, instead of writing I'd play WoW, instead of working on a coding project or video or any other hobby I use to have, I'd play WoW.

I think you've got the point, it was taking over my leisure actives, which before WoW (and to a degree AO) were veried and while geeky, much more rounded.

Funny thing is, I didn't notice any of that until after I quit the soul-sucker, I quit because I was bored with all the existing content, the headaches (literal and figurative) that would come after long frustrating raid sessions, and then after I'd done a few bits here and there that I was actually interested in... that would be it for the week, nothing else to do. But I'd still log in, and sit there... for hours... doing nothing in-game or out.

I mentioned the community above... well if you've played WoW you know it's about one step above non-stop 24/7 riot without the police showing, and I don't mean the fun kinds of riots, I mean the burn down everything in sight while hurling hideous memes at everyone kind of riots.

And the forums were worse.

Err... this isn't going how I intended... anyway my point when I started this post was to related that today I was watching the IGN daily fix and they mentioned a new WoW patch, and then I got an email from blizzard about free game time if I wanted... then I noticed a video for the WoW patch on IGN in the other content box at the end of the video...

I've watched and looked at WoW content since I quit, but damn Blizzard knows how to make a good cinematic, always has, I've often said that if they went into CGI movies with their current staff of writers and artists they could put Dreamworks and Fixar would of the game in months.

So I was sitting here tonight, feeling slightly bored, unable to go play Dragon Age or AC2 due to the sleeping child in the lounge room (her mum's sick and we're baby sitting for a few days while she's in the hospital), and there sitting in my inbox is the WoW invite... taunting me... seducing me with it's tight lines and free epics...

But no! I've 6 months clean! I can enjoy other games! I've seen more movies in 6 months then I have in the last 5 years, and I'm finally making head way through the stack of books I brought over that time that I'd "been meaning to read".

So no WoW, you wont seduce me again! I'm not falling for your lies again!

Now if only cigarettes would as easy to quit I'd be free of my most self-destructive vices.

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm Debut Trailer

I think "meh" just about covers it.

facebook users click the link below if video doesn't load

WoW Player Threatens to Hijack Plane

The 18-year-old from Johnson County, Indiana, said that he "was going to board a plane at 7:30 to Chicago and that (he) was going to try and kill as many Americans as possible," ...... Predictably, Blizzard employees saw the announcements and notified the proper authorities. The teen quickly backpedaled, claiming that someone had hacked his account, but that didn't stop the FBI from seizing his computer to investigate the incident further.
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93184-WoW-Player-Threatens-to-Hijack-Plane

Jesus Christ on a freaking pogo stick are some people just born without the brain power of a flea or what? I mean honestly what posseses someone to think saying crap like that is a good freaking idea even if the Post Bush USA?

Star Craft II: Here's Hoping

Blizzard is on full publicity mode today, with a number of sites posting preview stories and interviews with the people behind the game.
More over at Ars Technica.

So I'm looking at Star Craft II and thinking to myself "damn I've been waiting a long time for this" quickly followed by "oh crap, please let it be more like Star Craft and Warcraft II then Warcraft III"

You see I'm a rare bird, I didn't think Warcraft III was all that good, oh the story was okay and some of the missions were interesting, but I thought it was more an RPG then an RTS, it focused too much on the hero units then the strategy, and frankly that's not what I play an RTS for. Dawn of War is an example of what I want in an RPG, Warcraft III isn't.

But that's in the future, I'm sure I'll buy a copy of this game even if its a dog turd in a cardboard box.

Anyway onto the other things I've been thinking about, the single player looks cool, three games rather then just one, at first I thought it was a shameless money grab, not something blizzard is above, but I've got hope, it looks as though those games are going to have some pretty cool storyline elements and that's something that is seriously lacking in todays games.

The noob friendly stuff in the article I linked just makes me go "MEH", I've been the kicker and the kickee in the ass kicking and frankly you learn by doing, if you're too much of a wimp to try again after getting your metaphorical teeth knocked down your throat you shouldn't be playing online.

That may some just a touch elitist of me, so I'll explain, I have no issue with ranking systems or different game zones for different player levels, but the whole idea of dumbing down a game to the lowest common denominator just rankles, it would be like chess where all the pieces move the same, so I hope they do it better then they did in WoW.

Now onto the real rant, no lan-play??? WTF? Wait sorry... W-T-F? Sorry that's just plain freaking rude, LAN play and Internet play are the same fucking thing, TCP/IP, there is bugger all extra work in putting it in, the only reason not to put it in is to force people to use their battlenet service, which I'm better is going to have a subscription fee now... if so... suck me blizzard.

Yea, you heard me, blow me you over-paid monkeys.

Out of Game Content

Well I don't play WoW any more, but there will be a fair few WoW references in here, so fair warning, but out of game content purchased for real money in games where Character customization is king is getting to be a real problem.

This rant first came to mind when I was playing Fable 2 the other day and noticed this guy I was playing with had a sweet coat, called a High Roller Coat, its freaking awesome, but when I asked how he got it, I was crushed.

To get it, I have to go buy a different game on X-Box Live, called Fable 2 Pub Games... which is basically like the little gambling mini-games in Fable 2... you know the games I can't stand.

Or I can trade ridiculous amounts of in game items and cash for it.

Now I don't begrudge people who like the Pub Games in Fable 2, or even want to buy the X-Box live version, more power to them, but its just one step away from the WoW Collectable Card Game bullshit that's been around for the last few years... you know the one where to get the cool mounts, pets, and other items you have to shell out tons of real world mount either on ebay, or by buying the stupid card game.

I call it a stupid card game as if it was good enough to stand on its own, they wouldn't need the "loot cards" or as I prefer to call them, "bribe cards" to get people to buy the damn thing.

The problem is, games like WoW take a, rightful, hardline stance on RMT (Real Money Trading) or Gold Selling as its more commonly known, but at the same time induldge in this shameless profit milking.

It just riles me up, everytime I saw a Spectral Tiger in WoW I wasn't impressed at how cool it was, all I saw was the amount of outgame money it was worth and what I could use that $400-500 on... like rent or food.