Things that'll make you laugh, cry, and maybe pee your pants with delight. Mainly I just use this blog to say whatever is on my mind, which most of the time revolves around games, movies, or anything else that may be happening. Enjoy.
A shot of 'Planet Michael' capturing the essence of the King of Pop...Creepy
I love following the latest headlines in the video game world, but this next story had my brain moonwalking its way out of reason. A company called "SEE Virtual Worldsm" announced it is developing a Michael Jackson based MMO (massive multiplayer online) game called "Planet Michael," which will take inspiration from everything that encompasses the King of Pop. Although no gameplay details were revealed, the game is supposedly taking inspiration from Jackson's creative works, as well as his life outside of the recording studio. Not surprisingly, this has many gamers, including myself, scratching their heads harder than Bubbles the Monkey searching for ticks.
Yay, Lets Climb a Tree!
According to the developers, "Planet Michael will offer fans around the globe an innovative, first-of-its-kind interactive gaming and social experience that truly celebrates Michael Jackson's extraordinary life as an artist and humanitarian." Although that tells us nothing concrete about the game, I have a hard time imagining how this will work. Usually, MMO games like "World of Warcraft" or even "Everquest" require a hefty user base that is drawn in by the game's vivid and diverse world, but above all it's the gameplay that matters. Michael Jackson's music career DOES have many unique worlds that were buil on thanks to his music videos that the developers could feed on. Whether it's a graveyard level based on 'Thriller,' or a back alley beating neighborhood based on 'Beat-It,' there IS room to work with. But just how will this game play?
Moonwalker clearly hinted at the possibilities of multiplayer
Many wisecracks are already circulating the internet, so I figured I might as well throw in my two cents on what this game will be like. First, if it wants to succeed, it needs to be a quest based system like World of Warcraft. Obviously we should have different playable class systems, with players able to choose whether they want to be a good buy or a bad guy. So here are the classes I had in mind. Good guys: the police. These are going to be your tanks in the game. You can upgrade them to have riot gear as you level up because once you reach the higher levels, you're going to have to fight off swarms of pedophiles. Next up are the angry parents. These are your ranged attackers. Parents will have either air tasers or pepper spray, all of which are upgradeable. Lastly are the pediatricians. Clearly these are your healers, and they'll mostly be geared with antibiotics and syringes, due to the massive amounts of sexually transmitted "debuffs" your party may get from playing in the world of Michael Jackson. As you level up your pediatrician, you can also learn child psycho therapy. You'll need this later on if you fail a child saving escort quest.
Bubbles the Monkey! What I remember most of Michaels life
Bad guys: the more popular class will be the metal image of Michael Jackson found on his album 'History: Past, Present, and Future Book 1." Clearly the tank of the bunch, this metallic moonwalker will have several abilities at his disposal such as Candy Treats, Pixie Dust, and Rocket Propelled Boots. Don't ask me about the boots, they're awesome. Next up are the chimps. These furry primates are your ranged attackers that fling monkey poo at their foes at a moments notice. You can upgrade your armor by speaking with the all wise leader of the chimps, Bubbles the Monkey. He'll offer you upgrades like shiny monkey gloves, which boost your agility in poo throwing. You can also gain a stamina bonus on your armor with upgradeable suspenders. Finally, the healer of the group will consist of members of the Jackson 5 (with the exception of Michael of course). Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, and Marlon will all have the ability to heal you through their angelic voices. Singing words of encouragement, your party can receive healing bonuses that don't require the use of a numerical HP system, but rather "ABC's," because it's as easy as 1,2,3.
The end boss of my Michael Jackson MMO...Joe Pesci
The quest system works the way you'd expect. Good guys usually get escort quests by finding at risk, rape targeted kids and getting them away from Neverland Ranch. You may have to fight a monkey or two, but it's pretty challenging. The bad guys quest chain involves escort quests of luring kids into Neverland Ranch using candy and the promise of going to an amusement park. Other bad guy quests involve fighting zombies on the set of Thriller, preventing Bubbles from having a monkey attack in the mansion, and acquiring Eddie Van Halen to do an awesome guitar solo to boost your stats. Oh and the final dungeon of the game, which just so happens to take place in a dank, cold, dripping cave, involves you fighting mud creatures in order to get to the final boss... which is Joe Pesci from "Moonwalker." Ah! I can't wait to play it now.
A good use of Michael Jackson in a video game
But seriously, is a Michael Jackson MMO game really necessary? The man was known for his influence on Pop music. Sure the Sega Genesis game "Moonwalker" was a fan favorite, but a massive online world involving a guy that may or may not have slept with Macauly Culkin is a tough sell. Everyone loves Michael's music, so stick with that. There's already a Michael Jackson game coming out that focuses on that and it's called "The Michael Jackson Experience." It uses the soon to be released Microsoft Kinect Motion Controller allowing players to dance like Michael. It's a perfect idea, and I guarantee you that it will sell like ice cream of the future. But if you start to veer off the essence that was Michael Jackson, then it's going to be a big joke...just like this article. Enjoy.
The PC Gaming world just can't get enough of their MMO's (Massive Multiplayer Online Games). World of Warcraft was released 6 years ago and continues to dominate the PC gaming market. There have been countless copycats that have tried to overthrow the giant that is WoW. Blizzard is preparing to release it's 4th expansion "Cataclysm" for its beloved MMO, and with a subscription base of more than 11 Million users, it's going to take a Little-Mac to overthrow this Mike Tyson. Cue Bioware.
Bioware has evolved into a massive gaming studio over the past decade. Console hits like Baldur's Gate, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Dragon Age: Origins, and Mass Effect have launched the company into a Triple-A developer status. A force to be reckoned with, Bioware added even more pinache to its studio with its recent partnering with Electronic Arts a couple of years back. With World of Warcraft saturating the PC-MMO market, there is a growing need for another big hit title to finally overthrow the behemoth that is Blizzard, and I've got a feeling Bioware's upcoming MMO "Star Wars: The Old Republic" is just the answer we want, and the one we need.
The hype machine behind The Old Republic is definitely starting to catch the attention of many critics and gamers. Bioware has released several videos showing how combat, questing, and some of the classes work within their universe. You've got your standard tanks, healers, and DPS classes with a Star Wars twist to them (The Bounty Hunter looks to be right up my alley), and Bioware promises that there will be plenty of loot to shape your character into the unique little Jedi Master/Sith Lord you always dreamed of.
Hand me my flamethrower...It's the one that says bad muthaf**ka on it.
It's all very reminiscent of World of Warcraft's style, but there are a bunch of things that will set The Old Republic apart. For starters, the entire game is fully voiced. Every NPC (non-playable character) you come across will speak, and every quest-giver will give you a dialogue rich encounter which you'll have to respond appropriately to. One of the key mechanics of the game, which hasn't been fully revealed, is its morality system. Similar to what we see in many Bioware games like Knights of the Old Republic and Mass Effect, what you say will affect your character in his appearance and leveling, as well as his allegiance to certain people. While the details are scarce, this mechanic gives players a whole new way to mess around with characters, ultimately offering a deep, rich, and most importantly replayable game.
"You guys see Bioware's new MMO? GAME OVER MAN!"
Something else that should be noted, and my personal favorite, is the aesthetic of the game. The Old Republic has a very animated and colorful "cartoonish" look to its world, similar to World of Warcraft. Other MMO's like Everquest, Age of Conan, and even Warhammer tried to render their worlds with a more realistic approach to their graphics. While the games look pretty, many casual PC gamers just don't have the hardware capable of running these games the way their developers intended. High end gaming PC's can go anywhere from $2,500 to $4,000, and lets face it, not everyone can or wants to cough up that kind of green. PC games that run in a "cartoonish" look tend to run well on lower-end PC's, allowing more gamers to dive in and get hooked. I have a solid PC and I could barely run "Everquest II" without it almost having a seizure and turning my room into a sauna. But when I play WoW, it runs as fast as Usain Bolt in the 100m.
My point in all this is that Bioware has its sights set on a large, collective audience. They're definitely thinking big and may even pluck some of Blizzard's dollars (myself included). From what we've seen so far, the game runs smoothly, looks balanced and user-friendly enough, and is being developed by a development studio with more than enough chops to craft a beautiful RPG environment that'll keep gamers busy for years to come. Plus...it's Star Wars for Ackbar's sake! It's such a rich universe that it'll be impossible to run out of content for future expansions.
Clouded your future is Blizzard
Until then, we'll have to patiently wait for Blizzard and Bioware to release their monster MMO's in the coming months but if I were Blizzard, I better be damn sure to make Azeroth as engaging as ever, because if not, as Yoda once said..."The dark side clouds everything. Impossible to see the future is."
Meantime here's the latest video from Bioware showing some group based combat in The Old Republic. Enjoy.
