I got some time to play with Warhammer: Wrath of Heroes, and the more I begin to doubt that certain Mythic employees will have much in terms of career options should the time come that they no longer report to EA/Mythic. Consider that Warhammer Online is one of the primary reasons (including All Points Bulletin) why Electronic Arts had so much trouble getting proper investment for The Old Republic, and then consider that Paul Barnett and Carrie Gouskos (among others) were at a panel where they trashed WAR in favor of Wrath of Heroes. I would be incredibly surprised if this didn’t have another negative effect on EA’s image with investors.

But as for the game itself, Wrath of Heroes will be enjoyed by those who really enjoyed the Scenarios from Warhammer Online, as Mythic stated, as the game is essentially the bare-bones scenarios from Warhammer. You choose from a selection of hero-types, each carrying a small handful of powers, and battle it out on the field for territory control. The problem some players will undoubtedly have is that the game just isn’t Warhammer. It isn’t like Space Marine or even Warhammer Online, it just feels like another game someone slapped Warhammer skins on to and changed the names of a few powers.

Hopefully the doomsayers are wrong and Wrath of Heroes will not be the successor that murders its predecessor.

1. World of Darkness May Feature Perma-Death

World of Darkness is an odd piece of fruit. I want to talk about CCP’s upcoming MMO because every now and then the developer releases a nugget of information that leaves me asking where to submit my pre-order money. That being said, the game is in pre-production, meaning that everything is fair game for the old chopping block under the explanation of “it just didn’t work in practice.”

But if you were under the impression that World of Darkness would be less hardcore than Eve Online, you can pack your bags and head back to your sparkly emo vampires now. All signs point towards the open player vs player combat making a return in this game, as well as the possibility of perma-death and humanity points deciding who can attack you and where. CCP has also talked dynamic events, and players having a real effect on the world…of darkness.

2. Do You Believe In Redemption?

I’m going to pose a question as a bullet point this week. If we’ve learned anything from Turbine, Funcom, Cryptic, and Sony Online Entertainment, it is that free to play is exactly the medicine an MMO needs for not-enough-money-itis. Almost without exception, we’ve seen games from Dungeons and Dragons Online to Everquest II, Champions Online and Age of Conan burst at the seams from the amount of new players who want to try out the game. Now the question as to whether or not this success will stand long term is a topic for another day.

But I wanted to talk about a different form of redemption, through game updates. Can Final Fantasy XIV bring back its player base, or has it been too long? If Warhammer Online were to introduce a full third faction, living cities, and a host of bug fixes, would that bring back the million+ who had pre-ordered it back in 2008? What about if Anarchy Online were to finally update to the Dream engine? Or if Everquest had received a major graphical makeover?

Making a comeback without going free to play is certainly the far more difficult strategy, but is it impossible?

3. Let’s Take Another Look At An MSPOG System, Shall We?

I don’t know if that is the actual term Nintendo will use, but I want to talk again about the Massively Single Player Online Game genre patented by Nintendo and perhaps actually implemented at some point in the future. My first idea in this system brought me back to Sin: Episodes. If you don’t remember Sin, it was developed by Ritual Entertainment back in the early days where developers were still trying to figure out episodic gaming. Ritual had this great idea to take metrics on virtually every aspect of the game, which would essentially change the directions the sequels moved in depending on how the majority of players completed the game.

Consider if you will a sandbox shooter, set in a world similar to Freedom Fighters. The game ships with an offline mode and an online mode, and the online mode is essentially single player, but the world you are in changes depending on the collective performance of those on the field. Naturally the game would have to be difficult enough that one player can’t blaze through a fully equipped base, but imagine clearing out a sewer tunnel only to have your efforts translate into long-lasting benefits for other players, or vice versa finding an entrance that was not accessible when you logged off the prior night.

The problem with this system is that it is ripe for abuse in any implementation, but that is up to the developers to figure out. I need to go find my copy of Freedom Fighters on my Gamecube.

4. Death Star Over Endor

I found this photo on the MMORPG.com forums, and all I can say is that it is damn cool, and a clear sign as to how the game will end (with a fight over the Death Star). This really makes me want to log in and start power leveling my character before it’s too late and the game shuts down.

5. Where Does Lord of the Rings Go When The Books Are Over?

At the rate Lord of the Rings Online updates to follow the book’s storyline, there are a few years left before we actually get into Return of the King, let alone to the point where we finish it. So by the time we hit that almighty end of the trilogy, Lord of the Rings Online may, for all intent and purpose, be a dead game experienced only by a few remaining loyal players. Lord of the Rings doesn’t have the same luxury as other IPs in that Turbine doesn’t have much to go on after the story is over.

The toppling of Sauron’s tower would make for a great finale to the game, don’t you think?