Reticule

Yea WoW Cata was no fun after you ran all the new quests once. Even then, it was more of the same but a different setting and slightly more dynamic story telling, which I like but it just wasn't new or different enough for me. I've been done for over 8 months now and doubt I will be returning, especially with the glut of new games that have been released in that time (Assassin's Creed (all of them) and Prototype anyone?)

I like that a new class is being added in but it's too little, way too late. The game suffers from stagnation, everything else in it was and is beautiful in it's conception and function, it's just really old and worn out for me personally.

Well after six years of WoW, trying almost every MMORPG released after about two years in to WoW, installing and uninstalling most FTP games multiple times.... I'd have to go with the leveling grind on this one Bob.

My draws? Lots of people (even if the majority are mouth breathers... cannons need fodder!) Session based gaming (think along the lines of FPS matches and DOTA games.)

I hate spending hours upon hours in a game only to better yourself slightly (and WoW made it fairly easy compared to the likes of EQ and such) The most fun I'm having right now is after finishing Assassin's Creed and Prototype, I'm all about Hero Attack in SCII.

So I guess in summation, I DON'T LIKE MMORPGS NO MORE!

Session based gaming is where the future is.

I think Xenogears had a large enough universe to transfer over to the MMO landscape. We all know the one thing this old and stale genre needs is giant robots.

I wouldn't mind trying this keyboard but I can't justify buying any other gaming keyboard ever since I obtained my Ideazon SteelSeries Merc Stealth. Hands down the best all around gaming keyboard out there so far.

I have the Merc Stealth coupled with the Razor Naga and I never have to remove my right hand from my mouse in any game I play. All the movement keys are nicely positioned and the modifier keys (CTRL, ALT, SHIFT) are in a perfect position for my left hand pinky to activate them on the fly without thinking about it. I have absolute control over my characters in WoW (when I used to play) and Rift and maintain full functionality within any other game I may be playing.

The only cons I have with this set up is that for long gaming sessions, my arms and hands and pretty much everything else remains in the same general position so I find that I need to stretch and take a break every once in a while (which should be done anyways).

I suggest to anyone that is interested to search google for some photos of the Merc Stealth so you can see the game pad they've tacked on to the far left of the keyboard. I highly recommend this set up!

@Thrishmal

My mistake then, admittedly I did not read A Feast for Crows as my initial research told me that Martin began another story arch in that book which comprised the events and characters that lead to the story of the first three books (hence my referral to the book as a prequel . I read somewhere that the stories of a few key characters that were left hanging at the end of book three, were not revisited in a Feast for Crows).

I vaguely remember this being explained as Martin wanting to add more significant pieces to the overall story of Westeros as well as set up the final two books. On that note, the last of this story was split up by Martin's own admission. He did not intend for the ending to be two books but the story had run that long, presumably because of the events that took place in A Feast for Crows ( which you sir, have convinced me that I do in fact need to read, thank you!)

In all I need to do better in my investigations regarding the books I read and not jump to someone else's conclusion.

I've read the first three books that comprise the initial series. If you didn't know the fourth book actually starts well before the events of the preceding three books and most/if not any characters carry over to this "prequel". The next book in line is called A Dance with Dragons due to be released in early July. For those new to the series there was a significant amount of time between A Storm of Swords and the yet to be released A Dance with Dragons.

I highly suggest this series, even if you are not a fantasy buff. The writing mechanic used by the author makes this fantastic story flow like a raging river (each chapter is named after one of the characters in which the chapter will continue on the story of that character). You won't be able to put these books down. There is quite a bit of drama in this series however it is not prefabricated events thrown in for the sake of adding drama/suspense. It is pure and authentic to the ideals and times this series is takes place in.

Even though the series fits in the high fantasy genre, nothing within this story makes the elements of a high fantasy story seem too fantastical. Magic doesn't encompass everything, and in fact is pretty non existent through the beginning of the series. I won't spoil anything here but the way Martin explains magic becoming more and more prominent as the story progresses was very satisfying. Also, to soften the existence of magic, the events that take place and the situations the characters are put in are very real, and very adult oriented so you never ever get the feeling your in a childs fantasy world. This is gritty and feels real.

In conclusion, nothing in this series seems forced. Everything flows along so smoothly, and thats saying something about a story that spans three books (to date) of almost a thousand pages each.

P.S. Tyrion is my favorite character of this entire series.

I haven't read through all the comments yet so I don't know if this has been pointed out yet. Warcraft was one of the first original titles by Blizzard entertainment, and through its three iterations of the game, were able to build a rich fantasy world that has since exploded. The Warcraft strategy games were/are the foundation of WoW. With that foundation being so intensely popular at the time and having really only one other game in the genre to contend with (Command and Conquer) it was the perfect lead in to an MMO.

The other half of this equation is Blizzard's other two original titles, StarCraft and Diablo. The reputation of Blizzard as a gaming company had already started to skyrocket well before WoW was introduced. This gave Blizzard a strong following and guaranteed numbers at the release of WoW.

Couple all of that with the great foresight of the designers at Blizzard and you have the current version of World of Warcraft with it's 12 million subscribers.

Diablo and WarCraft helped establish Blizzard in their early days. StarCraft brought them to the level of most respected gaming company. WarCraft III was created with the direct idea that it would lead in to their MMO. Everything Blizzard does is more then just making money. StarCraft is proof that the designers care more about the quality of their games, all the revenue is simply a result of their abilities to put together great games, games that even after a decade are still fun to play.

crazy sexy winning times-

@Al

Yeah, and if a frog had wings, it wouldn't bump its ass when it hopped.

Party on.