Loading... The Short End of the Global Stick

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Posted Wed, Nov 19, 2008 by Ethec

Welcome to the 958th Edition of Loading...

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So it's finally happened - North America has taken second billing on an MMORPG release. Despite targetting Chronicles of Spellborn's release for the last week of this month for European players, publisher Acclaim announced last night that North Americans won't see the Spellborn launched until January 2009. I don't think localization is an issue; Americans can put up with British English and the Canadians actually like the superfluous u's and e's. In any case, Austrailian gamers, I'll soon know how you feel - waiting a few months for a game others are already talking about.

For today's boy collapses after playing too much WoW story, we turn to Sweden. It's probably a coincidence, but this story comes only days after a European raiding guild claimed that they've chewed up all the PvE dungeons in the week-old expansion.

Northern Europeans, friends, there's no need to prove that you're very intense people. World history confirms this, but even if it didn't, you're learning all of our old bad habits. Most WotLK gamers I talked to at the launch event last week were planning to go home and go to bed. That's a stark contrast to the Burning Crusade release, when many of my WoW friends were stockpiling caffeine, microwavable food, and cigarettes for a serious gaming binge. Thankfully they stopped short of piss bottles, as far as I knew. Anyway, the game will be still be there in the months and years to come, long after someone else's server first pushes yours down the list.

Now that the sad news is out of the way, let's shift gears. In the oddest bit of MMOG news that's come down the pike since Richard Garriott gave the galaxy his load of gamer and b-celeb DNA (sorry, you probably feel dirty now), the venerable retailer-publisher Gamefly listed SOE's espionage MMORPG The Agency as cancelled. SOE promptly responded that the project is still very much alive, and a good thing for many of the ex-Mythica devs at SOE Seattle. Going 0 for 2 on MMORPG development would no doubt mess with your confidence.

Share your thoughts in the Loading... forum or, as always, feel free to email me with your thoughts.

Ten Ton Hammer Epic Thread of the Day [Thanks Karen!]

Sometimes they're funny; sometimes they're foolish; sometimes they're flaming; sometimes they're cool. Whatever this one happens to be, it's our Epic Thread of the Day.

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From our WoW: Wrath of the Lich King Discussion Forum

First Impressions

ShadowDragon admits to not having had time yet to fully explore all that World of Warcraft's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, has to offer, but that's what posting first impressions is all about. It's said that you never get another chance to make a first impression, and this is certainly true in MMOGs. ShadowDragon's thread bids you to tell us your experiences with WoW's new content, as well as its new class, the Death Knight. Got an opinion? Voice it!

Awesome Quote from the Epic Thread:

"Visually the new expansion is amazing. I'm enjoying it on both main characters with only a few minor issues that are more due to crowding, which will sort itself out soon. I have to say the general behaviour of people, which can get nasty in crowded areas (Sunwell?), has been pretty good, which means people must be having a good time all round."

- Stormbrjnger
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