1. Get into Guild Wars. It's on my shelf, I've been putting it off for too long (damn you, WoW!), and Brinstar's love of the game is infectious. How does it work, are there servers? Anyone got any recommendations?
2. Get Animal Crossing for DS without dropping too much Mario Kart practice. Curiously, Wonderland is (currently) topgoogleUK for 'mario kart friend code' so there's a thread going nuts over here; shame I'm crap at MKDS ;).
3. Go to yoga class instead of paying the gym membership but playing WoW instead.
4. Get back into FPSes properly. Will tinker with a Quake 4 cfg; I miss Capture The Flag something rotten.
5. Make a gaming wardrobe for Stortroopers. Plus another wardrobe, although I haven't quite decided what yet. Haute Couture? D&D? ... D&D Couture?
6. Get a full sized Blythe doll.
7. Learn to cook many and various soups, but mostly involving pumpkin and squash. Yum! Plus space-invader shaped croutons.
Seven is enough, isn't it?
Alice's haemorrhoids!?!? rofl :D
I've got a Guild Wars account out there as well, still occasionally dust off my chars for a quick run around. There are no servers per se, but there are multiple instances of each town and you can flit between them at will to meet up with your friends (all the outsides are instanced of course).
I really like the mix and match of the classes in Guild Wars as well, lots of ability to make a character to suit your playing style. Let us know if you do get it down from the shelf and I'll teleport my monk over to keep you alive ;)
Posted by: Shard | December 31, 2005 at 13:27
Yay Quake. Let's play Alice!
Posted by: DivideByZero | December 31, 2005 at 16:08
I too have a copy of GW gathering dust. I remember playing it for about a week before getting incredibly bored with my inability to solo effectively and the frustration of trying to find a group. Also, pretty much every character looks identical, which really bugged me for some reason. (Too much time playing WoW and CoV I guess. :)
Now Quake would be a lot of fun. I've been trying to find anyone I know from ye olden days who's still playing Q4, but have resorted to just dropping into a server and laying down some vintage smack to the youngsters every once in a while.
Can't wait for the gamer wardrobe, my stortrooper needs appropriate attire.
Posted by: Seb Potter | December 31, 2005 at 16:47
Seb, I'm with you on the Quake. Finding the old folks is tougher and tougher. Time to dust off the credit card and put some new silicon in the PC for Q4.
Bill
Posted by: Bill_NYC | December 31, 2005 at 17:21
Maybe we should start a Retired Quakers house, or something.
Posted by: Alice | January 01, 2006 at 07:10
Alice,
Once you've experienced the Guild Wars story line and have a grasp of the game mechanics, I highly recommend rallying 7 friends to play the Guild-vs-Guild PvP format (8v8), which is the heart of Guild Wars.
Items, skills, and the character level cap were all designed to be balanced for PvP so that player skill would determine the winner, not time spent grinding.
A solid strategy, a team build, communication, and coordination are just some of the things a guild needs to be successful in PvP. On an individual level, twitch/reaction time, positioning, energy management and battlefield awareness are key.
The recently added observer mode allows players to spectate GvG's between top ranked guilds on the ladder. Many guilds are starting to learn the strategies, tactics, and builds of top guilds and the ladder is getting increasingly competitive.
GW's first GvG ladder season ended today at 12:00 AM PST. Regional playoffs in America, Europe, and Korea will begin this month leading up to the $100,000 championship in February.
If GvG isn't possible for you, there are other ways to enjoy GW PvP including the 4v4 Competition and Team Arenas or the 24/7 tournament at the Tomb of Primeval Kings where you can join a pick up group or form a team of eight with friends.
I hope you enjoy the game. ^ _^
Posted by: Stepn | January 01, 2006 at 12:35
If you need a questing buddy, feel free to message me in-game. Apparently the Warrior/Monk combo is supposedly the easiest build to start with, though I ignored that recommendation and went with Necro/Mesmer.
I found GW to be pretty easy to get into once I learned the basics because it doesn't have too many intricacies (for example armour that degrades over time, or job classes).
Otherwise, as others have said GW really shines in PvP (which I haven't explored so much). I've mainly used observer mode to see GvG fights, and it's very cool. I would hope that we are able to see the world championships using Observer Mode.
Hope you enjoy the game!
Posted by: Account Deleted | January 01, 2006 at 16:02
Just to keep up the GW pressure, I've played the opening couple of areas with about 5 different character builds now, and i don't think I've had so much fun and variety in strategy since Diablo 2.
I agree with Brin, a Wo/Mo is a great build to solo with, but it's a great game for choosing a character that suits your play style better. And the people in the arenas are usually appreciative of my Mo/Me's healing & anti-mage skills. Go on, you will, you will, you will, you will, you will....
Posted by: Shard | January 01, 2006 at 17:12
Sounds like good resolutions.
Mine are:
1. Get back into fighting shape. I used to box, and this desk job is giving me a beer belly. I am in the process of rectifying that.
2. Build a SFF capable of playing Q4 maxed out. I've been meaning to do that for a while, I'll be sticking it all into an old Mac+ I have. :D
3. Find a grrl 4 meself. It's been too long... Being a single guy is fun for a while, not having to clean the pad or shave every day is nice and all, but it's getting a little stale. True love, here I come...; )
4. Get back into school. Being that I'm 20, I'm realising that my life is (^_*) slipping away from me. Time to get a bloody MBA, and become a corporate arse kisser.
Not neccessarily in that order.
Cheers,
evaD
Posted by: Stealth43 | January 01, 2006 at 20:05
'become a corporate arse kisser.'
ohh, wait, I already am...
c'est la guerre ;D
Posted by: Stealth43 | January 01, 2006 at 20:06
Don't go to yoga class - get a copy of "EyeToy: Kinetic".
Posted by: Lee Maguire | January 02, 2006 at 14:32
I'll be interested to see what you think of GW since you're a WOW enthusiast.
Here's a prediction for you: the PvE in WOW is deeper so you'll get bored with GW and go back to the embrace of WOW. Not that the PvE in GW is bad, certainly not - but it's not as compelling as Blizzard's effort if you have a lot of game time to "spend". The design focus of GW was clearly PvP and it shows.
So just to try to scupper my own prediction, once you've played enough to get the hang of the controls, try the Competitive Arena (random-team 4v4) with one of the premade character builds - and try the new observer mode to see the GvG stuff (hit B in-game for observer mode). It'll at least give you an idea of what the GW addicts are wibbling on about.
FWIW, I wrote a brief analysis of the design of GW a little while ago on my rarely-updated blog. Apologies for the plug but I'm too lazy to type out a more complete synopsis. :)
Posted by: Clamatius | January 02, 2006 at 18:46
I like the relatively low time committment requirements of GW.
But yeah, Clamatius is right -- PvE in GW lacks the depth of WoW. Very different games, but fun in their own right.
I think as soon as I finish up some GW quests that have been frustrating me (as well as helping out one of my newb friends), I'll put in a decent WoW session or two this week.
Posted by: Account Deleted | January 03, 2006 at 15:39