Before I get started, allow me to state that I'm actually a massive fan of three things: sprite based games, cool spaceships, and low-memory 'miniature' games. While the first two criteria are pretty much self-explanatory, what I mean by low-memory 'miniature' game is the video game that I can toggle in and out of while writing articles or - in some odd cases - when I'm playing other games. Examples of 'miniature' games are things like Tetris, which I occasionally play when I die in DotA, or Solitaire, which I play when my raid wipes because nobody was paying attention (maybe they were playing Solitaire). Either way, when IGG offered us the chance to try out their newest 'mini' MMO, Galaxy Online, which touted itself to be "a fantastic strategy game developed by IGG, set in the vast and endless universe, where players can develop their own galaxy, form fleets to invade other planets and much more." I experienced a plethora of different emotions; some good, some bad, and some downright confusing.

You see, even though most people have negative views of mindlessly grinding MMOs with cutesy sprite graphics, I'll have to admit that I glean a depressing amount of pleasure from these puddle-shallow games. It's probably not a good thing to admit it while in the position that I'm in. We live in an industry that's desperately trying to escape the grind, and a guy who fondly reminisces about killing things for 0.01% of his bar is probably detrimental to the critical review force. I missed my nostalgic grindy video games, and here was the opportunity to try it again - with space ships!

With the launch of Champions Online quickly approaching, we've been curious about how the game is shaping up. Naturally, I sent Cryptic a note on that very topic of concern and they replied in an unusual fashion, but it definitely spoke loudly. We received a screenshot this evening that hasn't been shown publically until now. As you can clearly see, things seem to be moving along just fine. To that extent, the amount of character diversity shown in this screenshot is uncanny. Our response to Cryptic: We want more!

Our appetite for a fresh look at Champions Online is once again fulfilled. Thanks Cryptic!

A little less than a week ago, we here at Allakhazam were given the opportunity to hop into the world of Darkfall Online. I have to confess, however, that I really hadn't heard much of this game. Made by indie developer Adventurine, Darkfall Online is touted to be the vicious combination of freestyle PvP, dynamically intelligent enemy AI and a rage inducing 'full looting' system. Full looting, by the way, means exactly that -- players who are killed (in PvP or PvE), drop everything they were carrying, and other players can help themselves to whatever was dangling from the carcass at the time of its expiration (hell, they could have been the ones who killed him). While both Tamat and I had the chance to play, we worked very hard to keep our opinions to ourselves, thereby granting ourselves the fullest chance to experience Darkfall Online with no influence or expectations.

When I say no expectations, I mean that I really did not know anything about Darkfall or Adventurine before I trundled my way into the character creation screen. On the other hand, however, I must admit that I was expecting an MMORPG containing what I have become accustomed to expect -- gear, questing, levelling up, nice graphics, a good amount of hand holding along the way, customizable skills and the vague feeling of World of Warcraftery (but obviously different). In this expectation, however, Darkfall confused me.

The New York Comic Con was, as one would expect, overflowing with comic book fans, making it the ideal place to show off Champions Online. There was even a live-action Defender walking around the booth, enticing people to come take a look at the gameplay demo. We got the chance to speak with Design Director Bill Roper about numerous topics, from character customization to the creative nemesis system. And while I was highly impressed with numerous aspects of the game, such as the physics system that will lend itself to some interesting quests, the somewhat repetitive nature of the Monster Island demo didn't completely pull me in to the world or show off all the game has to offer. Regardless, Cryptic is obviously listening to its fans in beta, as shown through a recent UI revamp to make character creation less confusing, so hopefully the game will be a polished machine for launch.

Admittedly I haven't always been a Star Trek fan. To that extent, I've only begun to explore the Star Trek final frontier in the last eight months. I find it amusing that something as non-direct as Cryptic licensing an intellectual property could actually introduce me to a new lifestyle. What's more, a lifestyle I’ve always been out of the loop about from within my circle of friends. I love Star Trek, but the biggest question I continue to ask myself is, "Will I love Star Trek Online?"

Sitting down with Craig Zinkievich at New York Comic Con, was a genuine pleasure. Even though we had spoken with Craig back in October, there was a lot of new, exciting stuff to go over; namely the character customization that was shown in a trailer at the Con, as well as the differentiation between space and ground combat. For the sake of structure, I'm going to start with character customization.

It seems to me that most of the MMOs in development in past years have been mostly clones of their competition. This is extremely frustrating when one of the requirements of your job is to play as many of these games as possible. One of the reasons I'm excited about Jumpgate Evolution is because it seems to break that stale mold that has flooded the genre with redundantly repetitive products. Fortunately, during our first demonstration and live gameplay session at New York Comic Con, I learned this to be true. What's more, it’s more enjoyable than I previously thought it would be.

Our meeting with the Jumpgate Evolution team started with a bang when we realized Scott Brown, the President of NetDevil, would be giving us our tour. One of the first things he said to draw us in was about the kind of game JGE is striving to be. "What we're working on is both a full PvP and PvE MMO. You can play whichever way you want. One of the things we're trying to do is to not make you decide that you only want to do PvP or PvE. There are different parts of the game that have different rulesets, but both of which are complete games," said Brown.

I’m here at the New York Comic Con with the rest of the Allakhazam crew and I am excited to report that I was able to get a first-hand look at open PvP in DC Universe Online, courtesy of Jens Andersen, the game’s creative director. As a huge comic book fan, I realize how much pressure DCUO is under to appeal to both hardcore DC Comics aficionados, as well as gamers who are only familiar with the names Superman and Batman. Well, I can personally say at this stage in the design process that PvP in DCUO will make every gamer feel like they’re locked in an epic battle between heroes and villains that actually follows comic book rules. For example, people with super powers are generally really hard to knock completely out of the fight.

Sony Online Entertainment’s DCUO booth was flooded with convention-goers throughout the first day who were eager to catch a glimpse of the game, and Jens was just as excited to show off open PvP in the heart of Metropolis. Before we get into the PvP action, it’s worth noting that Metropolis is huge. As our premade character soared into the sky and buildings vanished into the distance, Jens noted that we were looking at only 1/8 of the city. It really is massive to see, and the art direction of Jim Lee can really be seen in the architecture. And once more pedestrians are added and traffic begins to move through the streets, it will honestly feel like a living, breathing city.

Yesterday marked the beginning of the open beta test for Wind Slayer -- the fifth addition to Outspark’s free-to-play gaming portal. Many of you may be familiar with Outspark’s 3D MMOs Fiesta and Secret of the Solstice, but Wind Slayer brings some new gameplay options to the table that lets it stand out from the company’s other titles. Specifically, Wind Slayer is a 2D side-scrolling RPG with a heavy focus on PvP and ease of play.

I had the opportunity to jump into the continent of Beuritania and interact with Ryan Olsen, the Events/Promotion Marketing Manager, and Community Leader Travis Trekell. Both said Wind Slayer was designed to be one of Outspark's simplest games to date to make it accessible to a wide audience, and yet “impossible to master” for more advanced gamers. The target audience definitely seems to be casual and younger players, but the PvP aspect could certainly draw in the advanced crowd.

Typically, when I want to ‘get away from the grind’ and play something frivolous, I load up my beloved DotA, my gateway drug to trash talking and the opportunity to rampage other kiddies with my Invoker. A short while ago, however, I was assigned to spend my spare time playing Wizard101, a children’s MMORPG with “collectible card magic, wizard duels, and far off worlds.” Thus, the weekend was spent doing just that; collecting hilariously politically correct cards (“Heck Hound”), duelling and attempting to trash talk 12 year old wizards ("You smell bad"), and exploring far off worlds, spending up to 45 minutes in combat, just so I could move forward 5 meters through a crowd of monsters (how!?).

Initially, the game starts you off as a young wizard hatchling; freshly emerging from your character creation screen and ready to cast spells at monsters in the form of a card game. Names are formed from three pre-generated parts, presumably so that your children will not have to deal with obscene character names. Much to my happiness, however, the character name that I reserve for children’s games, Digby Sparklepants, was available. Awesome.

The future of MMORPGs is, and always has been, in the hands of the players. Recognizing this, French game developer Ankama Games is developing a sequel to their highly popular Dofus (pronounced doe-fuss) game. The game, Wakfu, is set in the DOFUS world 1000 years in the future. The world has changed visually and much of the landscape is now underwater, though players of the Dofus game will find much familiar inside the world.

Sérgio dos Santos, International Marketing Assistant for Ankama Games, sat down with me recently and I have to admit, I find myself looking forward to Wakfu more now than ever!! Ankama Games has succeeded in a wonderful way with Dofus, providing a mostly pay to play game with a lower subscription cost ($65 a year which include special gifts) drawing millions of players into their world. Their studio is often overlooked, however, when discussing long lasting and well made games, to the great detriment of the MMO industry. With both games, it would be a true tragedy to ignore the story and fun that are available at a cost that is both reasonable and affordable compared to most other subscription MMOs.