Welcome to the 1,174th edition of Loading...

Loading... is the premier daily MMORPG news, coverage, and
commentary newsletter, only from Ten Ton Hammer.

MMOs shouldn't be reviewed hit-and-run style like console games, but that doesn't stop a number of sties from recycling stale opinions from the forum flames and troll sites and posting their review scores first, just to get some cheap web traffic. Two major MMO releases had barely gone live when premature reviews began to appear. We'll examine the phenonmenon, how it's a disgrace to all of us in the media, and tell how Ten Ton Hammer is fighting back in Loading... Reviewing it Fast and Loose.

The Pulse

You vote with what you view at Ten Ton Hammer, and the
result is the Ten Ton Pulse ( href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/thepulse/" target="_blank">What
is The Pulse?).

Here's today's top 5 Pulse results:

1. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/41"
   target="_blank">World of Warcraft
2. Dungeons
   & Dragons Online
3. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/254">Aion
4. EverQuest
   2 
5. Age of Conan

Biggest movers this past week:

1. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/115">Dragon
   Age Origins (UP 14 to #14)
2. Lineage 2 (UP 4 to #17)
3. City of Heroes (UP 3)

• 8/25
  - CrimeCraft
  (release date)
• 9/1 -
  Champions
  Online (release date)
• 9/9
  - Dungeons
  & Dragons Online Unlimited (release date)
• 9/15
  - Runes
  of Magic "The Elven Prophecy" (expansion)
• 9/22
  - href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/taxonomy/term/177">Fallen
  Earth (release date)
• 9/22
  - Aion
  (release date)

• 10/9
  - Cities
  XL (release date)
• 12/2
  - DOFUS 2.0
  (release date)
  
• Early 2010
  - APB
  

Important
Dates

• 10/1 -
  10/3 -  href="http://fanfest.eveonline.com/">EVE Online FanFest
• 10/23 - 10/24
  - Hero-Con
  

Loading... Daily

During the holiday ramp-up every year (hard to believe it's happening already, isn't it?), I get more and more concerned about how review sites look at MMOs. Contrary to the tacit opinion of many reviewers, it's not just a contest to see how much flowery jousts, apples-to-oranges comparisons, and snarky nad-kicks you can squeeze into your 1000-word piece before taking your mercenary paycheck to the bank. Unlike console games, MMOs have a live team whose jobs depend on how well a game is received. The least you can do is give an MMO an honest chance.

Champions Online has gotten almost 50 reviews in the last few weeks, resulting in a fairly decent metacritic score of 74. There's a lot of pressure to get your review out quickly, that is, while the majority of players are making their buying decisions, but we'll maintain that it's impossible to review an MMO even in the space of a month. Not only do these games take months or years to master, much of the gameplay depends on the interactions of large numbers of people, and that doesn't come together in a week or even a month.

Case in point: Aion's been out for a week (a little more with the headstart), and according to the server info page, roughly 99% of the playerbase is not even halfway to level cap on every server. How RPGfan and Eurogamer could accurately review all aspects of the game when so much of Aion depends on large scale player interaction in the latter half of the game boggles the mind, but then again Eurogamer's doesn't have the greatest reputation when it comes to slipshod reviews.

Don't get me wrong: reviews are important to everyone - you, me, game developers, and publishers. So because one of our aims is to buy and play these games so you don't have to waste your hard earned money on bad games or games that simply don't suit you, we plan to do our future reviews in four parts over the course of three months. First comes previews, which will provide all the "background info" on a game without straying too far into the realm of opinion. It's not fair to anyone to form an opinion about a game prior to launch. Next comes our first impressions pieces, posted within a weekthat after an MMO launch, covers the tutorial and basic gameplay and will hopefully give you enough of the flavor of the game, from our perspective, that it roughly equates to a mainstream review without masquarading as a full review. You've seen plenty of first impressions articles here in the past, and there a perfect way to get the ball rolling.

We'll then review the entire game in three parts - early game (exploring all the game's systems - grouping, PvP, crafting, so on), level-up (the broadest possible perspective of how characters develop, and how much of a grind it truly is to get to level cap), and elder game (what's waiting for you when major character development comes to a halt, and whether it's worth all the trouble to get there). Our review process isn't going to happen quickly - MMOs typically take 60-100 hours just to reach the level cap, then just as much of that time to get well acquainted with the endgame. Not every MMO And it's not like we can devote this kind of time to every MMO that comes down the pike, which is to say that we'll probably take favorable reviews to the next stage and leave unfavorable reviews where they lie. We'd rather not do a review unless we can give a game the time it demands.

What do you think? Do you want an in-depth review or a fast review? We'd like to give you both, but what's more important to you? Feel free to share
your thoughts are welcome in the  href="http://forums.tentonhammer.com/showthread.php?t=46660">Loading...
forum.

Remember the 80s and 90s, via cartoons!!

We're
talking 80s and 90s cartoons, and we've loaded this thread with lots of
embedded YouTube-y goodness. If it's been a while since you've heard
the Animaniacs theme song or you've reminisced about the Transformers
or Captain Caveman or Danger Mouse or Samurai Pizza Cats (Samurai Pizza Cats?), then you need a dose of today's epic thread.


==============================

Awesome Quotes from the
Epic Thread


"HAHA, you are all diggin up
ancient relics for me as a kid. I remember Speed Racer, Kimba, Captain
Kangaroo, Bugs and the coyote were staples, MAX Headroom rocked. I know
there is a ton of stuff I am missing but hey, 3 large glasses of Pinot
in me so I am a bit discombobulated at the current moment."

- OneEyeRed
==============================



Have you spotted an Epic Thread on our forums? Tell
us!

• World of Warcraft: Onyxia Guide - How to Slay Dragons
  The Brood Mother returns in patch 3.2.2 and so does our Onyxia guide straight to you. There are dragons out there that need slaying and terrible jokes about MORE DOTS and MANY WHELPS! HANDLE THEM! to be had in a /guild or /trade chat near you. Our guide goes over where to stand, what to do, and how the new fight works. Already done it? Then join us for tips on getting the achievements and other neat info about this beastly dragon. So grab a sword and get ready to face off with one mean flying dragon here at TenTonHammer.
• Intro to PvP in Aion
  The world of Aion is a beautiful place, yearning to be stained by the blood of your opponents! In our next Aion article at Ten Ton Hammer, we take a look at where you're going to go to do it and how combat will work in your chosen method of PvP. Once you hit your third questing zone, the enemy can be anywhere, including right behind you! With this primer in hand, you'll know what to expect once you leave the shelter of the guards.
• Torchlight Alchemist Trailer Video
  Perfect World Entertainment's Torchlight is gearing up for a launch in October, and the teaser trailers are in. As much as we'd like to horde the videos for ourselves, we just couldn't do that to you. In this video, you'll see the Alchemist sowing destruction as he shows his enemies that guys with beakers are no laughing matter. Try laughing after he throws a concoction of acid at you and you’re missing your face. Not quite so funny anymore, is he?
• Voice-Overs – Can Star Wars: The Old Republic Avoid Past Mistakes?
  Star Wars: The Old Republic (SW:TOR) aims to be the first fully voiced MMORPG, but past games have used voice acting as a method to enhance gameplay and immersion. Games like Everquest 2 and Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures have both used voice-overs and both have done some things right and wrong that BioWare can learn from as they develop SW:TOR.
• IGG Releases New Images with the Announcment of Altis Gates
  IGG has announced a new title in development to join their growing list of online games. The latest addition to IGG's lineup is called Altis Gates, a turn-based 2D MMORPG. One of the major features announced for the game is the ability to allow players to shape shift on demand. IGG sent us a nice batch of artwork and posters for the upcoming title with the announcement.

Hottest Content:

1. Intro to PvP in Aion
2. Voice-Overs – Can Star Wars: The Old Republic Avoid Past Mistakes?
3. Final
   Fantasy XIV Online Tokyo Games Show Trailer
4. World of Warcraft: Onyxia Guide - How to Slay Dragons
5. Ten
   Ton Hammer's Aion Screenshot Contest
6. Aion
   Launch Video
7. Aion
   New Player Portal
8. Aion
   Newsletter - The Daeva Weekly #2 - Long Queues and Short Skirts
9. href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/aion/guides/new/graphicsguide">Guide
   to Aion Graphic Settings
10. Ten
    Ton Hammer's Aion FAQ

- Jeff "Ethec" Woleslagle and the Ten Ton Hammer team