Massive Nerd

Well, I suppose there's good news. Publishers didn't release so many games in 2009 that I have no hope of playing them all. (I think there's still a few 2008 titles missing from my shelf)

The BAD news is that it's because they were all delayed until 2010.

I have the first few months planned out. I'm firmly in the world of Ferelden until late January, when Mass Effect 2 comes out. Hopefully I'll get my fill of that by March, when the much-anticipated Final Fantasy XIII finally comes out.

The rest of the year is wide-open, though. I'm looking closely at several titles:

Bioshock 2
Bayonetta
Darksiders
Dragon Quest IX
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
Transformers: War for Cybertron

This will also probably be the year I finally pick up a PS3. I'm very interested in Heavy Rain and White Knight Chronicles.

Of course, I HAVE to bring the Massive back sometime soon. I'll likely be splitting my time between two games this year.

Cataclysm looks to be fixing many of the problems I currently have with WoW. Additionally, I will DEFINITELY be playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. I MAY even sneak into Final Fantasy XIV a bit on the weekends if my girlfriend decides to move on from FFXI.

Are there any big games I missed that you're looking forward to, reader?

As many of you know, I work in retail. As such, time and energy are at a premium. I'll try to post as often as possible, but there may be some weeks... well... like this one.

At the very least, I'll try to make up for the quantity with extra quality.

In addition to scaling back on posting, I'm scaling back on playing.

I've deactivated my Aion account. No, I'm not like many out there ragequitting. When last I played (several weeks ago) I was still enjoying the game greatly. No, it's not perfect, and NCSoft still has work to do, and it may be too little too late. That being said, it's a game I wish I had more time for. Unfortunately, it requires an investment I can't give.

I'd rather spend that time playing games like Dragon Age: Origins right now. So, I'm scaling back from all subscription-based games to focus on single-player games for a while.

Once I finish DA:O, Mass Effect 2 and Final Fantasy XIII, with a chance of Assassin's Creed 2 and others, I'll start looking back at MMOs.

I still really want to give Champions Online a go, and I'm REALLY liking Star Wars: The Old Republic. Oh yeah, there's a little thing called Cataclysm out there, too.

So, I'm not going anywhere, chumps. I'll still be posting, just not playing anything Massive right now.

So, 3.3 and Icecrown Citadel is currently on the Test Realm. It will likely see live by Christmas.

Cataclysm will definitely be out at some point next year. With Starcraft 2 slotted in the Spring, it's highly unlikely we'll see it in the first half of the year.

I've been told Blizzard says they want Cataclysm out before next year's Blizzcon. They seem to be rather far along in the development, based upon what they showed at this past Blizzcon. That said, with Blizzard, I'll believe it when I see it. Theoretically, they also expect to have Diablo 3 out this year.

However, let's ASSUME Cataclysm will be out by this summer. Let's give it until July, which is eight months away.

Blizzard has said that Icecrown Citadel is the end of the Wrath of the Lich King storyline. Where does that leave the game over the next eight months? Blizzard obviously can't go that long without updating the game. The community would riot.

I'm sure November/December WILL mark the end of Wrath. I doubt we'll see a Sunwell-style extension of the story. It's kind of hard to top taking down freaking Arthas. Who's to say, though, that February/March won't mark the beginning of Cataclysm?

Whether it's 3.4 or even 4.0, I'd say the odds are good that we'll see the start of the Cataclysm story well before we even think of the expansion. There are two things that make this theory strong in my book.

First, the Chamber of the Aspects in Dragonblight. Thus far, only one of the five wings, The Obsidian Sanctum, has been utilized. Since Deathwing is the central character thus far in Cataclysm, it would stand to reason that the other Dragonflights would be part of the build-up. How? I have several theories, perhaps to be explored in a future post, but those portals are down there for a reason.

Second, there's the sheer scope of the Cataclysm itself. The event will change the entire game world of Azeroth and Kalimdor, in addition to the new zones being added in the expansion. Since Blizzard has said they want players both with and without the expansion to experience the Cataclysm. This will require a MASSIVE overhaul of the game files, all through patching. Unless Blizzard wants to release a single GIGANTIC patch, I would hope they'll do it in a series of smaller patches, slowly changing the game world along the way, as the Cataclysm progresses. Each level of change will have accompanying story elements. Perhaps it will evn be possible to level a Dwarf Shaman through the newly-redesigned zones BEFORE the expansion even launches.

This would be a brilliant move on Blizzard's part. Players like myself, who are currently inactive in the game, waiting for Cataclysm, will be more likely to renew their accounts sooner than expected. As we all know, Blizzard likes money.

Alright, so Blizzcon was this past weekend. I've slogged through all the videos, articles, blogs and tweets. So, here's my thoughts on the show.

Big thanks to WoW.com, MMO Champion, Twisted Nether and all the Twitter bloggers out there for the info!

Starcraft II

Not much shown here. There's been a deluge of media over the past few weeks. However, I must say that the level builder is impressive. I'll probably never use it, but the sheer quantity customization options is amazing.

Diablo III

I'm SO playing a Monk.

'Nuff said.

Cataclysm

Yup, looks like MMO Champion was pretty much on the money.

I must admit, it seems like Blizzard is addressing many of the issues I have with the current game, foremost the complete destruction of the leveling experience. It's almost as if the read my letter.

The lore behind the expansion looks like fun. Deathwing is more badass than many give him credit for. Forget the Horde, forget the Scourge, forget the Old Gods. Hell, forget the Burning Legion. Deathwing could be the biggest threat Azeroth has ever seen.

Races: I'm still a bit iffy on the Goblins. However, the more I look into it, the more I like the Worgen.

Classes: For the most part, I fully support the class additions. The only ones I have problems with are Night Elf Mage and Dwarf Shaman. Perhaps a little more lore investigation will help.

Azeroth: At first I thought remodeling Azeroth was pretty stupid. Now that I know it's a total do-over for level 1-85 content, I'm a little more interested.

Flying: I actually hate flying, but that's a post of its own.

Archaeology: I love this. It's implementation, as well as the Path of the Titans seems like a very nifty addition. Also, I'm glad they decided not to introduce another full profession. Things are a bit crowded as it is. I could have lived without Inscription.

Mastery: This could very well be my favorite change. Talents will become interesting again!

Stat Simplification: Yes, please. Stats are getting out of hand. I don't want 6,000 Spellpower. Reforging seems cool, but I wonder about it's limitations. If they let players do too much, it could be annoying.

Guild Leveling: Sure, why not? Not really a huge deal for me.

Classes: Hunters get Focus back, yay. (I believe that was an old Alpha/Beta mechanic) I'm a bit disappointed that the "big" change to Soul Shards is a reworking of the Death Knight Rune system.

I'm sure I missed a point or two, but that's the bulk of it.

I have to say. A few months back, I was very disillusioned with WoW. However, it's nice to see the game moving back in (what I feel is) the right direction.

Okay, Bliz, I'll give it to you.