Mists of Pandaria

Yeah, haven't been here in a while.  been busy.   

So BlizzCon 2011 has come and gone.   Mists of Pandaria is official.  

Both sides get a Pandarean,  and the Monk class.   Pokemon-style non-combat pet battles, (oxymoron, no?),  new talent/perk system,  a new continent,  and 5 more levels to grind. 


So the haters are going to hate....some think adding panda's is a downright affront to the game lore.  Somehow, talking cows, walruses, panther/centaur people, etc etc is ok,  but pandas aren't?

That group seems to bed calming down, some, I hope they do.   It's a silly argument.  The world of Azeroth is a silly place.  anything really is possible.

Also Blizz announced the 12 month commitment contract,  with it you get Diablo 3 (standard) for free.   If you happen to acquire a copy of the Collector's edition,  you can add that to your account and get 3 months free game time. 

There is speculation that Blizz may actually throw other games into the the "free for contract" category.   It does seem that Blizzard is a company, that is really competing with themselves.  They need subscribers number to stay up,  plus they want people to play Diablo (and possibly SC2 -HotS).   And there's a strong possibility that they would start cannibalizing their WoW base as soon as Diablo is released in Q1 2012.   By locking players into a 12 month contract, subscriber numbers will be less likely to drop before Mists of Pandaria is released.  Then once it is released,  numbers will probably grow again.   It's actually a pretty brilliant plan.   Another added bonus for WoW mount collectors is if you do the contract, you get a Ty'real's Charger, a luminescent pegasus.  And, almost forgot this, by signing up, you get an auto-beta invite for MoP (Mists of Pandaria).  I am really on the fence about signing up.  Is there content in WoW for the next year?  Maybe.... but Diablo 3!  and the beta....but that's a whole year obligation.  It's a contract, you can't back out....  Damn you Blizz! 

Anyway,  Blizz does have other competition besides themselves to a degree.  Bioware,  a game company of great reputation,  is releasing Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWToR) on December 20th, 2011.   It's another MMORPG much like WoW set in the Star Wars universe, about 3000 years before the movies.  It's going to be a great game,  played it in a beta weekend.   It has a lot going for it,  could possibly give Blizz a run for their money.  I'm wondering now,  how Bioware will compete with this 12 month contract from Blizz,  Most people, I imagine, are like me,  1 MMO at  time.   I barely have time for WoW with Real-Life(tm) taking 23 hours a day.   I may get an hour or two a night to play.   What am I going to do? 

So people may scoff and say, "bah video games!, grow up."  But you really have to change your thinking and go,  "Hmm there's a story I want to be a part of;  is it WoW,   finding a continent, starting a new character?  Or is it SWToR,   Being a bounty hunter out for himself in the world?   It's a novel,  a interactive novel,  in which you can take part in the story.   Whether it's taking down the Lich King or fighting a war in the orbit of Alderaan, it's a story.  It's one that takes time and money to invest in.  Just like any good book.