Pirate 101: Review-in-Progress #1 - Character Creation & First Steps

KingsIsle released Pirate101 a few weeks ago. We've been playing Pirate101 and will be spending the next few weeks talking about some of our experiences in the game. This week, we take a look at the earliest steps in the game. See what we've discovered so far and then let us know what you think in the comments.

As a game that caters to a pretty specific audience, namely the 'tween' crowd and families, Pirate101, like its predecessor, has a certain onus placed on it to be intuitive and simple for kids to pick up and play. It's not to say that P101 is a kids-ONLY title. It is not and, as time will show, has a surprising amount of depth to it. But even so-saying, it's imperative that the target demographic to be able to figure out what's going on when first entering the game.

You can read the full review here.

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	Bill Murphy: The Problem No One's Talking About

The MMO market is arguable the most crowded it has ever been with each game clamoring for players' attention. But with the notion that the field is a crowded one, comes the revelation that there are two serious issues with MMOs today. In Bill's latest column, he examines those problems. See what he has to say and then leave your ideas in the comments.

The problem is MMOs by their very nature are dependent upon players sticking around in game for months or years at a time. The FPS of the week can get away with ten-hours of gameplay and a box sold. Big AAA online games that are services and not finite experiences cannot. From my vantage point, there is no easy solution to this issue. But there are two culprits that stand out as barriers to the MMO adjusting for a more crowded marketplace: revenue model and content-based design. It's my belief that an MMORPG can still retain lots of players' attention, but it's probably best to avoid the "OMGFailure!" hyperbole by looking towards these two solutions. It's my belief that a flexible revenue model and non-content reliant design can lead towards a more successful game in the long run; both from a financial standpoint and a community reaction standpoint.

Check out the column here.

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