The end of an era

Firstly, Happy New Year!!! Yes, yes I know it’s been a while since my last posting (funnily enough my last post coincided with my purchase of an XBox 360!). So I thought with a new year comes a new impetus to blog! And so here I am.

The title refers to the something that happened yesterday. Something that came as a bit of a shock to be honest. The shock was caused not by the fact that I actually did what I did (I knew it would happen eventually), but that it was yesterday when I did it. I’ve finally cut my ties with PC-based MMORPG’s. I’ve cancelled my Everquest 2 account, and even cancelled the pre-order for Auto Assault that I had placed a few months ago! The thing that has made me take this drastic step? My XBox 360 of course!!!

It’s funny as I felt a real affinity with Everquest 2. I had spent the last 14 months raising my character to the heady heights of level 46. If you include my crafting levels I had played through 72 of the 120 levels available in the game. This was somewhat of a record for me, as was sticking with one game for 14 months! But with the arrival of my 360, came a new approach to gaming, and one which Microsoft have obviously put a lot of thought into (I can’t believe it’s a fluke). The way it works (in my eyes) is something like this:

Pre-360
I have half an hour to spare. I can go and whack some things on EQ2.
I have an hour to spare. I can go and finish a few quests.
I have an evening to spare. I can go and do a few quests and whack a few things to boot.

Post-360
I have half an hour to spare. Which XBox 360 game shall I play?
I have an hour to spare. Which XBox 360 game shall I play? And how many achievements can I try to get in an hour?
I have an evening to spare. Which XBox 360 games shall I play after I’ve had another go on Zuma/Hexic? And what’s the name of that MMORPG I used to play?

And that’s pretty much how it goes. I haven’t missed Everquest 2 in the time that I haven’t played it. I can’t deny that I’ve enjoyed my time there, even after all the big combat changes that meant I had to re-learn how to play my character. But I put that down to the game being made better (even if it was frustrating at times!). And the group of people that I shared my online time with, whether actual friends or Guildmates from the game, were a good bunch one and all. But I just don’t have the time anymore. And that’s basically what it comes down to. When I win the lottery (and hence don’t have to go to work anymore) I’m sure that I’ll have the time to play again. Then, the inhabitants of the land of Norrath will once again know the fear of me approaching with a Great Hammer in hand! Until then, they can sleep soundly knowing that they are safe from my wrath…