Well Met E3!

So E3 has come and gone, and son, did it have a show for us. Perhaps I simply wasn't paying attention in the past, but this year's show was pretty packed.

Since most won't make it until 2020, for now a short presentation will have to do.

#1 - Cyberpunk 2077

Arguably the most anticipated game of the moment. It feels like a Deux Ex, if it had 10x the level of investment. It was announced back in 2018 already with a 48-minute gameplay reveal, but the latest trailer reveals someone unexpected.

E3 2019 Trailer

E3 2018 Gameplay

Developed by: CD Projekt Red

#2 - Death Stranding

By Hideo Kojima, the creator of the Metal Gear series, following his departure from Konami. I have no idea what's going on with this game, but I want it, now. It looks like a sort of survival third-person RPG with a heavy story influence.

The only problem is... it's a PS4 exclusive.

Developed by: Kojima Productions

#3 - Baldur's Gate III

No gameplay yet, but we already know what to expect. It's being brought to life by the team behind the Divinity series and is set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. If you've never played Divinity Original Sin or Neverwinter Nights, you don't know what you're missing out on.

Developed by: Larian Studios

#4 - Darksiders Genesis

This is where my preference kicks in. Personally I feel the Darksiders games don't quite live up to their full potential. The concept for the games is great, but the delivery isn't quite there.

This new title however shifts the genre from third-person action adventure to isometric action RPG. With the next Diablo nowhere in sight, many competitors have risen to take its place, with Darksiders being the latest.

Developed by: Airship Syndicate

#5 - Dying Light 2

At first I wasn't too crazy about Dying Light; it can be somewhat frustrating having to run away from zombies rather than killing them. However, the game scores its points elsewhere.

Kyle Crain grew on me, let's see how Aiden Caldwell fares.

Developed by: Techland

Upcoming MMO Watchlist

Well Met!

Today I would like to share a list of upcoming MMOs to watch out for. Whether or not they will suck, time will tell.

I came across the following video earlier today by the YouTuber nerdSlayer who provides some insight into most of these titles, should you avid reader wish to learn more.

Without further ado, here is my personal watchlist:


#1 - Legends of Aria (https://www.legendsofaria.com/)

Although I'm not crazy about the game title, I have to say it does look appealing. I say this mostly as a former Ultima Online players looking for a 21st century replacement. Make no mistake, this is an Ultima Online remake.

The game is due to hit Steam as Early Access "soon", after having been delayed multiple times already. It does have alpha servers running though, which you can access by supporting it from its official website.

Developed by: Citadel Studios


#2 - Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen (https://pantheonmmo.com/)

I'm told this is the new EverQuest, though I'm not sure what that means, having never played EQ. It does look like a mix of classic RPGs with World of Warcraft 1.0, which is an interesting concept.

Here's some gameplay action featuring the streamer CohhCarnage:

I'm definitely keeping an eye on this one to see how it turns out. It does appear to need some work still however.

Developed by: Visionary Realms


#3 - Crowfall (https://crowfall.com/)

Crowfall is probably the best looking game of this list (aesthetically speaking), with the largest budget and being further into developement. It labels itself as a Throne War game, which from my understanding is a campaign style PvP game. In short, you invade player-controlled cities.

The concept is original to say the least, though it deviates from the persistent world style of MMOs. Curiosity peaked.

Developed by: ArtCraft Entertainment


#4 - Chronicles of Elyria (https://chroniclesofelyria.com/)

In Elyria you also see a new concept, where you play not as a character, but a lineage. When your character dies, you start again as one of his descendants.

Making your character mortal definitely brings a whole new layer to this game, but will it be enough to keep it interesting?

Developed by: Soulbound Studios


#5 - Ashes of Creation (https://ashesofcreation.com/)

Ashes of Creation is actually split into two games, one PvP (Apocalypse) and the other MMO. Apocalypse will be coming sooner and is currently in beta. The plan is for the team to develop the MMO using live data.

While I'm mostly looking forward for the MMO, the PvP game will ultimately determine its success, or failure.

Developed by: Intrepid Studios

Well Met! An Intro

Well Met!

Meet Ashlan - me - a 33-year-old gamer currently working in the gaming industry.

Disclaimer: My opinions are my own.

I started my journey playing DOS games on my dad's pre-Pentium PC before even learning how to write. Having a list of commands on a piece of paper was enough for me to successfully load those games and have some fun. At this point I barely remember which titles I used to play, other than CD-Man, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Crystal Caves and Duke Nukem.

Apparently my dad picked up on my passion for games and got me a Sega Mega Drive (the European Genesis) back in the early 90s. I was very confused when he brought it home, as had I never asked him for a console nor even knew consoles existed!

By the time the Mega Drive stopped being relevant I had amassed over 30 games, a 4-player adapter and 8 controllers of all types. For the most part I spent my time playing Sonic games or 4-player games with my friends, such as Micro Machines.

Then came the N64, with 4 controllers by default! The N64 had few but great games. Micro Machines quickly got replaced with GoldenEye and Sonic with Mario 64 - sorry Sonic!

I briefly owned a Playstation as well, but it came at bad timing since the Internet was on the rise. Soon online games were all I cared about.

Age of Empires was probably my first, playing peer-to-peer matches with my buddies. This didn't last long as I soon discovered Unreal Tournament.

Initially I had found Quake 2 Multiplayer, so I tried getting my cousin involved because games are always better with friends. He on the other hand suggested we played Unreal Tournament instead. It was an instant hook. Fast forward a few months and I'm the leader of a mid-level clan, dubbed the best in the region.

Back then online communities were intertwined with real-life social circles and UT was the game all the cool kids were playing. Having Internet back then was a social symbol and what would teenagers aspire to in their early teens if not be the alpha in the perceived favorite computer game?

A few years later the inevitable happened. Epic's Unreal Tournament 2003 fragmented the UT community, something UT2004 was not able to put back together. Epic already being successful thanks to its Unreal Engine, little effort was dedicated to the actual games.

In the post-UT period I played a bit of Counterstrike 1.5 and 1.6, but quickly decided slow-paced shooters were not my thing. That's when the world of RPGs opened up to me.

I'm not sure which came first, but I know I ended up playing Ultima Online and Diablo II simultaneously. Ultima Online was great for the social aspect of gaming while also providing you the freedom to plan your path. Diablo II was great for the grind; getting all the nasty out of the system while listening to some metal.

Both were amazing games, yet I immediately quit both as soon as World of Warcraft came out. It came out of nowhere, but 15 years on I'm playing it still. WoW has played a huge role in my life, one which will doubtfully be overshadowed by any other game to be released. I dare say it's the game of my life.

A lot has happened over these last 15 years, however my aim with this blog is to cover current and upcoming games, from the perspective of someone with a gaming background and experience working in the gaming industry.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!